Safety Measures in a Clinical Chemistry Laboratory

The aims of a hospital clinical chemistry laboratory are not dissimilar to those of other industrial analytical laboratories. That is, the quantitation of different substances using techniques and instrumentation which will provide accurate and precise results. Where it differs is that the sample material comes from the human population and represents a potential infection risk to those who handle it. The degree of risk may be unknown at the time of analysis and only later may further information reveal the nature of the hazard involved. A clinical chemistry laboratory must adopt the standard safety measures adopted in other analytical laboratories and already discussed in this book. For example, eating, drinking and smoking must only take place in an area specifically set aside for that purpose. This chapter will focus attention on those safety measures and hazards which are particularly pertinent to the functions of the hospital clinical chemistry laboratory in its handling of patient specimens.