JACKIELYN C.

ASTRONOMO

BSN – 1AMETHYST

06/18/2024

ASSIGNMENT IN MICRO/PARA LAB

Safety in a microbiology laboratory is important in the prevention of

infection that might be caused by the microorganisms being studied. In
addition, many of the reagents, equipment, and procedures used are
potentially hazardous. Attention to proper procedures and prudent laboratory
practices are required for your safety and protection.

LABORATORY RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR SAFETY PRACTICES

 Read and understand each laboratory exercise before you come to

class.
 Do not eat, drink, smoke, or chew pens in the laboratory.
 You must wear close-toed shoes while in the laboratory and long pants.
 No hats of any kind will be allowed in lab, unless allowed by University
policy and cleared with the instructor.
 Long hair should be pulled back to keep it away from bacterial cultures,
bacticinerator or open flames.
 Follow precautionary statements given in each exercise.
 Personal electronic devices will be turned off and stored while in this
laboratory. *The unauthorized use of any electronic device (phone,
tablet, computer) in lab will result in a loss of course points.
 Know where specific safety equipment is located in the laboratory,
such as the fire extinguisher, safety shower, and the eyewash station.
 Recognize the international symbol for biohazards, and know where
and how to dispose of all waste materials, particularly biohazard waste.
 Note that all biohazard waste must be sterilized by autoclave before it
can be included in the waste stream.
 Keep everything other than the cultures and tools you need OFF the
lab bench. Only necessary work material should be at or on the
laboratory bench. Coats, backpacks, and other personal belongings will
not be allowed on the laboratory bench top. Store them in a place
designated by your instructor. This is to prevent cluttering of the
workspace and to avoid exposing them to permanent stains, caustic
chemicals, and microorganisms used in the exercises.
 Leave all laboratory facilities and equipment in good order at the end
of each class. Before leaving the laboratory, check to make sure the
bacticinerator heat sterilizer is turned off.
 Never, under any circumstances, remove equipment, media, or
microbial cultures from the laboratory.
 No pets are allowed in the laboratory.
 Remember that all bacteria are potential pathogens that may cause
harm under unexpected or unusual circumstances. If you as a student
have a compromised immune system or a recent extended illness, you
should share those personal circumstances with your lab instructor.
 Wear gloves when working with cultures, and when your work is
completed, dispose of the gloves in the biohazard garbage. Lab coats,
safety glasses or goggles are also required. These will be stored in the
laboratory each week in a ziplock bag.
 Disinfect your work area both BEFORE and AFTER working with
bacterial cultures.
 Cultures of live microorganisms and any material coming in contact
with live cultures must be properly sterilized after use in the laboratory.
Your instructor will inform you of specific procedures. Follow the
general rules outlined below.
A. Glassware such as test tubes, bottles, and flasks may be reused and
washed after sterilization. These are normally placed on a cart at
 the front of the laboratory. After you have finished an experiment or
exercise. BE SURE TO REMOVE LABELS before placing any glassware
on the cart. Your instructor will sterilize and then wash these items.
B. Some materials, such as plastic petri dishes, plastic pipettes,
microscope slides, and swabs, are considered disposable. These are
used once and if they become contaminated by contact with live
microorganisms are sterilized and discarded. All of these disposable
contaminated materials should be placed in the designated waste
container containing a BIOHAZARD autoclave bag.
 Never place contaminated pipette tips (or pipettes), inoculating loop,
or any other contaminated material on the bench top. Sterilize loops
before and after each use. Place contaminated pipette tips in the
orange biohazard buckets on your bench. Place all other contaminated
materials in their designated waste containers. Do not place or put
anything containing live microorganisms in the sink.
 Aerosols should be avoided by the use of proper technique for
sterilizing the inoculating loops and by performing any mixing of
cultures and reagents in such a way as to avoid splashing.
 Cultures or reagents should always be transferred with an automatic
pipettor that will be provided. In no case should one employ mouth
pipetting.
 Always keep cultures capped and in proper storage racks when not
being used during an exercise.
 In the event of an accidental spill involving a bacterial culture,
completely saturate the spill area with disinfectant, then cover with
paper towels and allow the spill to sit for 10 minutes. Then carefully
remove the saturated paper towels, dispose of them in the biohazard
waste, and clean the area again with disinfectant. Notify your
instructor about the spill. If the chemical is marked “danger” or
“caustic” you should notify the instructor who will handle this type of
spill.
 Immediately report all accidents such as spills, cuts, burns, or other
injuries to the instructor
 Make sure that lab benches are completely cleared (everything either
thrown away or returned to storage area) before you leave the lab.
 Clothing worn in the microbiology laboratory should be washed before
being subsequently worn in a facility such as a hospital, clinic or
nursing home, or in an area of public food preparation.
 In the event of a fire alarm, follow the directions of your instructor,
and meet at the place designated by your instructor.