Biological spills, from blood or bodily fluids to infectious agents, are an inevitable reality in medical laboratories. Many spills can be safely managed through standard precautions and standard operating procedures. Others pose a significant risk to staff, patients, and the environment....
Most hospital labs are focused on schedules to check equipment calibration, yet staff behavior patterns at shift changes are what create the riskiest compliance gaps, according to Stephen Huber, president of Home Care Providers, based in Orange County, California. Huber oversees healthcare...
A new year offers an opportunity for hospital lab leaders to reevaluate their compliance posture, close persistent gaps, and strengthen systems that support safety, accreditation readiness, and regulatory performance.
In this guest column, Dan Scungio, MT(ASCP), SLS, laboratory safety officer for multihospital system Sentara Healthcare in Virginia, and otherwise known as “Dan, the Lab Safety Man,” discusses the important issues that affect your job every day. When you think about laboratory safety, images of...
You can’t use bleach on everything in your laboratory. Cleaning and disinfecting the myriad of surfaces, tools, and equipment in your lab requires a variety of cleaners, soaps, and disinfectants. While one cleaner might be good for killing off acid-fast bacteria, it might damage or corrode your...
Viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHF), such as Ebola virus disease and Marburg virus disease, represent an ongoing threat even if their chance of occurrence on U.S. soil may seem low. These highly infectious diseases not only carry a high mortality rate but also present unique challenges for hospital...
