Be clear with your laboratory staff about what you expect of them when they encounter real or potential problems, says Sean G. Kaufman, CEO and founding partner of the lab safety company Safer Behaviors. Otherwise, you risk physical (and potentially financial) harm that could...
Winter is coming, and it’s time for laboratories to brush off their winter safety checklists. The forecast for the 2023–2024 winter season will be dominated by a powerful El Niño, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This is expected to cause a warmer-than-...
In the world of hospital laboratories, where precision and accuracy are non-negotiable, the culture of safety forms the bedrock of daily operations. It is within this critical context that Daniel J. Scungio, MT (ASCP), SLS, CQA (ASQ), who has over 30 years of experience as a...
Anatomic pathology laboratories present safety concerns that can differ from those in the clinical lab. Formaldehyde and other hazardous chemicals are used to preserve tissue specimens; workers can be exposed to large amounts of blood and body fluid during autopsies; and the sharp blades in...
Exposed skin and lab work simply don’t mix, which is why open-toed shoes are verboten in the laboratory, says Dan Scungio, MT(ASCP), SLS, a laboratory safety officer for multihospital system Sentara Healthcare in Virginia. However, that isn’t the only consideration when picking...
Summer is officially over, and the clocks will fall back an hour this upcoming weekend. It’s a time of transition as people bring out their fall clothes, enjoy spiced drinks, and ready themselves for colder weather and longer nights. It’s also time for your laboratory and staff to make the...
Living in Virginia, hurricane season usually has me thinking about lab disaster plans and the risk of a real natural disaster. In the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, the highest hurricane risk occurs between September and November. So far this year, a few storms have pointed in this...
This is the second part of our interview with Sean G. Kaufman, CEO and founding partner of the lab safety company Safer Behaviors, on cultural challenges in the laboratory setting and how to fix them.
It doesn’t take a lot to make a culture, but in the laboratory or clinic it takes a great deal of work to make a culture into a safety culture. Even when two facilities have the same polices and rules, there are still differences in leadership, personalities, methods, and expectations—all of...
Most sharps injuries—84%—occur among healthcare workers, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) confirmed in a recently released analysis. Injuries from a needle or other sharp objects can expose workers to bloodborne pathogens (BBP), such as human immunodeficiency...
