Laboratories should routinely perform site-specific and activity-specific risk assessments with appropriate personnel and/or other professional safety partners to properly identify and mitigate any identified hazards and safety risks. Risk assessments and mitigation measures will be dependent on significant factors such as:
- Identification of the hazards involved in the laboratory processes or procedures.
- Competency level of personnel who perform procedures.
- Laboratory equipment and facility.
- Resources available to the laboratory.
Examples of primary hazards commonly found in clinical laboratories include:
- Handling, transporting, and manipulation of potentially infectious specimens.
- Procedures which may generate aerosols (e.g., pipetting), or have potential for spills or splashes to occur.
- Exposure hazards from infectious materials to mucous membranes (eye, nose, mouth), ingestion, or inhalation routes.
- Sharps, which may be contaminated with infectious material.
- Performing test procedures outside of a containment device such as on an open bench, or with testing instruments which may have an open well system.
- Chemical hazards associated with testing reagents, disinfectants, etc.
COVID-19 risk assessments should also include considerations for the number of people that the laboratory space can realistically and safely accommodate while maintaining physical (social) distancing guidelines.
11. Gathany, James. "This image depicted a test tube with viral transport media that contained a patient’s sample to be tested for the presence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19." CDC.gov, 2020, https://phil.cdc.gov/Details.aspx?pid=23896
