Table Of ContentHandbook of
Laboratory Health
and Safety
Measures
This Handbook is dedicated to those who work in laboratories
SECOND EDITION
Handbook of
Laboratory Health
and Safety
Measures
Edited by
S.8. Pal
Universitlit U/m
Abteilung für Innere Medizin I
0-7900 Ulm (Oonau)
Federal Republic of Germany
Springer Science+Business Media, B.V.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Handbook of laboratory health and safety measures. - 2nd. ed.
1. Great Britain. Laboratories. Safety aspects
I. Pal, S. B. (Srikantha Bhushan) 1928-1989
ISBN 978-90-481-4032-9 ISBN 978-94-015-7897-4 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-94-015-7897-4
Copyright
© 1990 by Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
Originally published by Kluwer Academic Publishers in 1990
Softcover reprint ofthe hardcover 2nd edition 1990
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any me ans, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise, without prior permission from the publishers,
Springer-Science+Business Media, B.Y.
Laserprinter typeset by Martin Lister Publishing Services, Carnforth, Lancs.
iv
Contents
Preface vii
List of Contributors ix
Notes on Contributors xiii
1 Organizing the design of a safe laboratory
J.R. Robb 1
2 Electrical safety measures and standards for laboratory facilities
and equipment in hospitals and laboratories
E.J. Slater and D. Whelpton 13
3 Design of mechanical equipment for laboratory staff and patient
safety
P.Bowker 41
4 Handling of laboratory animals - including non-human primates
T. Pendry 51
5 Health care of laboratory personnel
A.E. Wright 71
6 Responsibilities of the Director of Laboratory Medicine for
health and safety issues in the laboratory
LD.Montoya 91
7 Health and safety hazards and precautions in chemical
laboratories
G.E. Chivers 101
8 Safety measures to be taken in a haematologicallaboratory
W.L. Ruf! 139
9 Health hazards in microbiology
CH. Collins 159
v
HANDBOOK OF LABORATORY HEALTH AND SAFETY MEASURES
10 Safety measures in a cIinical chemistry laboratory
l.H. Smith 189
11 Safety precautions in a clinical cytogenetics laboratory
B. Czepulkowski 215
12 Safety measures to be taken in a botany laboratory
M.P. Ramanujam 233
13 Safety measures to be taken in a zoology laboratory
C.M. Chaturvedi 257
14 X-ray hazards - diagnostic and therapeutic
R. G. Putney and N. W. Garvie 281
15 Precautions to be taken when working in an X-ray
crystallography laboratory
M.l. Mbzski and R.S. Osborn 315
16 Radiation protection in radionuclide investigations
D.M. Taylor 327
17 Ultraviolet radiation safety
B.L. Diffey 349
18 Hazards of using microwaves and radiofrequency radiation
H.Moseley 397
19 Applications of ultrasound and their potential hazards
A.R. Williams 427
20 Safety aspects of laboratory and cIinical nucIear magnetic
resonance and magnetic fields
MA. Foster 457
21 Laser safety
A.L McKenzie 477
22 Precautions to be taken by field workers relating to specimens
collected for final analysis in the laboratory
G.E. Chivers and R. Toynton 497
23 Safety measures to be taken when moving to a new laboratory
W.E. Green and D. Donaldson 527
Index 549
vi
Preface
During the past two decades, many books, governmental reports and regu
lations on safety measures against chemieals, fire, microbiological and
radioactive hazards in laboratories have been published from various coun
tries. These topics have also been briefly discussed in books on laboratory
planning and management. The application ofvarious scientific instruments
based on different ionizing and non-ionizing radiations have brought new
safety problems to the laboratory workers of today, irrespective of their
scientific disciplines, be they medicine, natural or life sciences. However, no
comprehensive laboratory handbook dealing with aIl these hazards, some of
which are recently introduced, had so far been available in a single volume.
Therefore, it was thought worthwhile to publish this Handbook on safety and
health measures for laboratories, with contributions from several experts on
these subjects. As this second edition of the Handbook, like the first edition,
is a multiauthor volume, some duplication in conte nt among chapters is
unavoidable in order to maintain the context of a chapter as weIl as make
each chapter complete.
An attempt has also been made to maintain the central theme, which is
how to work in a laboratory with maximum possible environmental safety.
Same chapters contained in the first volume have been updated for this
second edition, and further chapters added, to make this volume even more
comprehensive in dealing with aIl possible hazards in the laboratory. I am
indebted to Dr Peter L. Clarke of Kluwer Academic Publishers, who has
undertaken the publication of this volume and Mrs "M.R. Lingard-Pal for
acting as an honorary editorial assistant.
S.B. Pal
1989
vii
List of Contributors
P.Bowker B.L. DitTey
Department of Orthopaedic Regional Medical Physics
Mechanics Department
University of Salfard Durharn Unit
Salfard M5 4WT Dryburn Hospital
UK Durharn DH1 5TW
UK
C.M. Cbaturvedi
Department of Zoology D. Donaldson
Banaras Hindu University Department of Pathology
Varanasi 221005 East Surrey Hospital
India Three Arch Road
Redhill
G.E. Cbivers
Surrey RH1 5RH
Centre far Continuing Vocational
UK
Education
University of Sheffield M.A.Foster
65 Wilkinson Street Department of Biomedical Physics
Sheffield SlO 2GJ and Bioengineering
UK University of Aberdeen and
Grampian Health Board
C.H. Collins
Faresterhill
TheAshes
Aberdeen AB9 2ZD
Hadlow
UK
Kent TNll OAS
UK N.W.Garvie
Department of Radiology and
B. Czepulkowski
Nuclear Medicine
Mediscript
The London Hospital
WillowEnd
Whitechapel
Hendon Wood Lane
London E11BB
London NW7 4HS
UK
UK
ix
LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS
W.E. Green R.S.Osborn
Oakwood Reactor Centre
Orestan Lane Imperial College of Science
Effingham Technology and Medicine
Leatherhead Silwood Park, Buckhurst Road
Surrey KT24 5SL Ascot
UK Berks. SLS 7TE
UK
A.L. McKenzie
Regional Medical Physics T. Pendry
Department MRC Toxicology Unit
Newcastle General Hospital Medical Research Council
Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE4 6BE Laboratories
UK Woodmansterne Road
Carshalton
MJ. Minski
Surrey SM5 4EF
Reactor Centre
UK
Imperial College of Science
Technology and Medicine R.G. Putney
Silwood Park Department of Medical Physics
Buckhurst Road The London Hospital
Ascot Whitechapel
Berks. SL5 7TE London EI lEB
UK UK
I.D. Montoya M.P. Ramanujam
Affiliated Systems Carparation Department of Botany
1200 South Post Oak Boulevard Centre far Post-graduate Studies
Suite 540 Pondicherry
Houston India 605 008
TX 77056-3104
J. Robb
USA
The Douglass Group of
H.Moseley Deloitte & Touche
Department of Clinical Physics and 1200 Travis Suite 2400
Bio-engineering Houston
West Scotland Health Boards TX 77002
11 West Graham Street USA
Glasgow G4 9LF
UK
x
LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS
W.L.RufT R. Toynton
Clinical Laboratories Centre for Extension Studies
Howard University Hospital Division of Contitming Education
2041 Georgia Avenue NW University of Sheffield
Washington, DC 20060 85 Wilkinson Street
USA Sheffield SlO 2GJ
UK
E.J. Slater
Medical Physics Department D. Whelpton
City Hospital Medical Physics and
Hucknall Road Bioengineering Department
Nottingham NG5 1PB Kings Mill Hospital
UK Mansfield Road
Sutton-in-Ashfield
J. Smith
Nottinghamshire NG17 4JL
74 Cranham Close
UK
Headless Cross
Redditch A.R. Williams
Worcs. B97 5AZ Department of Medical Biophysics
UK University of Manchester
Stopford Building
D.M. Taylor
OxfordRoad
Kernforschungszentrum Karlsruhe
Manchester M13 9PT
Institut für Genetik und für
UK
Toxikologie von Spaltstoffen
Postfach 3640 A.E. Wright
D-7500 Karlsruhe 1 The Old Smithy
Federal Republic of Germany Warden
Hexharn
Northumberland NE48 3SB
UK
xi
