Answer:
A. Examples of laboratory hazards:
In general, there are three types of hazards personnel may encounter while working in laboratories at the NIH.
Possible hazards include:
• Biological Hazards – bloodborne pathogens
• Chemical Hazards – carcinogenic, flammable, or corrosive materials
• Physical Hazards – pyrophoric materials, lasers or radiation.
It is possible, even common, for a single laboratory to have types of hazards associated with more than one of
these categories at once. Engineering controls should be used as primary barriers, functioning to contain the
hazards. Personal protective equipment (PPE) should be used in combination with engineering controls to
reduce the risk of worker exposure to laboratory hazards. A risk assessment should be used to determine the
hazards associated with a particular laboratory or laboratory operation, and establishing which engineering
controls should be utilized and what PPE should be selected. Information on how to perform a risk assessment
is described in Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories 5th Edition. For assistance with
performing a risk assessment and selecting proper PPE, please contact your Institute's Safety and Health
Specialist, or the Division of Occupational Health and Safety.
B. Appropriate laboratory attire, laboratory coats and applicable standards:
While in a laboratory at the NIH for any reason, all personnel must wear appropriate clothing attire that prevents
direct contact of materials with the skin. Examples of attire that is appropriate includes long pants or leg
coverings and closed toe shoes. In addition, a task appropriate laboratory coat, as determined by a risk
assessment, must be worn while performing laboratory operations. Following a thorough risk assessment,
guidance to the selection of laboratory coats can be obtained from Tables 1 and 2. Table 1 lists the three types
of laboratory hazards and the applicable laboratory coat material standards. Table 2 provides a more detailed
description on the application of these standards and examples of laboratory coats that meet these standards.
Table 1. Summary of laboratory hazards and applicable test standards
Type of Laboratory Hazard Applicable Test standard
Biological Hazards ASTM F1670 (penetration by synthetic blood) and
ASTM F1671 (bloodborne pathogen exposure)
Liquid or Chemical Hazards AATCC Method 42 (resistance to the penetration of
water by impact) and ASTM F903 (liquid chemical
barrier)
Physical Hazards NFPA 701 or 2112 (flame propagation tests)
The standards listed in Table 2 serve as standardized testing methods to determine protection levels of materials
against certain hazardous or hazard surrogates. These standards should be considered when selecting a
laboratory coat material when working with the hazards that correspond to the applicable hazard or hazard
surrogate tested. These testing methods only test the material and do not test the complete laboratory coat
making it important to consider characteristics of the laboratory coat such as seams, stitches and where the
openings, snaps or buttons are located when selecting a laboratory coat. A complete description of the
standards can be viewed by contacting your Institute's Safety and Health Specialist,
Explanation:
