2013/2014
FACULTY OF COMPUTING, ENGINEERING & SCIENCES – SCHOOL OF SCIENCES RISK
ASSESSMENT FORM
Procedure:
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Academics complete Risk Assessment for all practical classes/activities, Technical team for
all support aspects and forward to Faculty Health & Safety Advisor, this is then reviewed on
an annual basis
Experimenters complete Risk Assessment in consultation with project advisor and technical
staff as appropriate
No laboratory work is to commence without a suitable and sufficient risk assessment being
signed off by the Faculty Health & Safety advisor or for experimenters by the project advisor
and Faculty Health & Safety Advisor/nominated individual
Experimenters to keep copies of Risk Assessments when working in the laboratories
Notes:
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The risk assessment must be reviewed when any changes are made to the equipment,
materials, procedure or personnel
Technical staff can stop experimental work if no risk assessment is in place, or if, in their
opinion, there is a risk to safety
□√ Biology
□
Forensics & Crime Science □ Geography
Student: Name & email address:
Ref No:
MB22
Project advisor:
Staff:
IAN HOPKINS
Ethical consideration:
No ethics declaration √
Fast track
Full ethics
Date submitted/passed
Title of project/module (include module number):
Use and maintenance of Priorclave top-loading autoclave designated for waste
treatment in R215 Autoclave Room Science Centre
Description of experimental procedure/practical session
This autoclave is designated to be used to sterilise laboratory waste prior to its final disposal
as skip waste, and also clinical waste prior to its collection by a specialist disposal company.
At present the autoclave used for this purpose is a 150 litre capacity Priorclave autoclave
(*Serial No. 9374 – purchased in 1992). This unit is situated in R215 and is connected to the
common series of vent piping shared with the other 3 autoclaves that serves to convey any
contaminated steam and condensate outside the building. The range of solid and liquid
wastes that are treated by autoclaving include cultures and media, blood, animal tissue,
contaminated glassware, pipettes, contaminated clothing, sharps in autoclavable bins, other
disposable and reusable articles, gloves, laboratory coats, paper towels and tissues.
For processing, Sterilin (or equivalent brand) steam-sterilizable plastic bags containing
waste or contaminated clothing are placed in a leakproof discard container inside the
autoclave, with sterilisation indicator strips (Propper OK indicator strips, or equivalent brand)
being placed inside each load. Bags or containers of clinical waste are labelled with 2-part
indicator tags (Whitney Products Inc.) prior to autoclaving. Bags should be left OPEN with
the top of the bag rolled outwards exposing the load to the steam generated within the
pressure vessel .Contaminated glassware should be contained within autoclavable baskets.
Care should be taken to ensure when loading the baskets or containers that they are not
packed so tightly that steam can not penetrate the load properly. Once the autoclave is
loaded, the pressure door can now be lowered and secured, and the safety cover closed.
Settings for the autoclaving of waste should be 121º C at a pressure of 1 Bar for a minimum
of 30 minutes. Under normal circumstances, this autoclave cannot be opened until the
temperature on the external dial falls below 40º C (or lower).
Once the autoclave is open, the contents of the bags of processed agar waste should be
allowed to solidify after which they can be treated as normal refuse (placed in bin liners) and
removed to the general waste skip located outside the building. The removable part of the
indicator tag attached to each clinical waste bag can be torn off and entered into the
Infectious Waste Control Logbook providing a permanent record of the treatment. Once cool,
clinical waste bags are placed in larger designated red/yellow plastic bags and removed to
a special skip exterior to the Science Centre from where it is collected by a designated
specialist disposal company at regular intervals. Treated sharps containers are also kept in
the same skip prior to collection. Any processed glassware should be washed out with large
volumes of water.
Routine maintenance involves a visual check for damage; changing the water in the vessel
and cleaning weekly or as required (dependent on use); lubricating the gasket and locking
arms monthly; and checking the safety valve and drainage. All this should be done following
the directions given in the autoclave instruction handbook. Records of servicing/repair
carried out by Priorclave engineers are to be kept by the Safety Officer, whilst records of
Insurance inspections are kept in R236. There is no reasonable alternative to sterilising by
autoclave that is less hazardous.
Hazards inherent in the work, record details and
possibility of risk/harm:
(Equipment, procedures, invertebrate work, body
fluid sampling etc.)
Record precautions which will be taken:
(e.g. Any standard operating procedures to
follow, SAF codes, faculty policies)
The autoclave operates under high temperature
and pressure. It is designed to prevent access
whist there is any danger of exposure to high
temperature or release of pressure. The autoclave
will not commence an operating cycle if not
The autoclave sterilises its contents by raising
both temperature and pressure, and
generating steam. Thermal gloves should
always be worn for opening the autoclave
(unless it is known with certainty that contents
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properly sealed, or low on water, for example.
Operational malfunction due to a failure of the
electrical supply. Or due to a fault within the
autoclave may result in the load inside being only
partially sterilised or completely unsterilized.
Autoclaving of agar presents particular hazards i.e.
possibility of scalding or burning.
COSSH assessment (harmful substances)
Hazardous to the
Aquatic Environment
(W)
Acute Toxicity (T+)
Gases Under
Pressure (G)
will be at room temperature i.e. the unit has
been allowed to cool fully overnight). The
vessel is tested annually by an insurance
engineer, records of such testing are kept in
R236.
The autoclave is only to be operated by trained
staff, and should be kept well-maintained
following the manufacturers guidelines.
Operational instructions are stored in R215.
When loading the autoclave with waste, ample
room must be allowed for steam to penetrate
through the load or else full sterilisation will
not be achieved. Indicator strips or tags should
be inspected following the completion of a
sterilisation cycle to ensure that requisite
colour changes have occurred; failure of a
these to exhibit the expected colour change
would suggest that the load has not been fully
sterilised and that it must be re-autoclaved.
Minimum handling precautions
Fume cupboard (F)
Safety glasses (SG)
Microbiological cabinet (Cab)
Laminar flow cabinets (LF)
Gloves (GL)
Face mask (M)
Respirator (R)
Other
All INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND WITHIN
MSDS (MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEETS)
ON THE INTERNET, SCIENCES CHEMICAL
DATABASE ON-LINE OR WITHIN EACH OF
THE LABORATORIES
Corrosive (C)
Caution (H, I)
Explosive (E)
Oxidising (O)
Flammable (F)
Longer Term Health
Hazards (M)
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Chemicals involved
(including Products):
COSHH information
as above:
Minimum handling
precautions:
Microorganisms:
Classification:
Minimum handling precautions:
Various
ACDP Hazard Group
1&2
Observation of university codes for good
laboratory practice (SAF001) and disposal of
contaminated waste (SAF003)
Other Materials:
Hazards:
Minimum handling
precautions:
Quantity to be
used:
GL, SG
various
Observation of university
codes for good laboratory
practice (SAF001) and
disposal of contaminated
waste (SAF003)
various
Agars (if molten)/broths
Clinical waste
biohazard
Contaminated laboratory
waste
biohazard
Vacuum grease (for
periodic treatment of
autoclave gaskets)
Do any of the above substances have a workplace
exposure limit (WEL) please state value and
precautions:
Quantity to be
used: ml/g/%
solution/M
various
1-2 mls
Yes
No
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Disposal information (How will all reactants/products be disposed of?)
Any sterilised molten agar waste or broth held in glass bottles should be poured off down the drain
of the main laboratory sink accompanied by flushing with a large volume of water. Bottles can then
be washed out and reused. Sterilised solidified agar waste allowed to cool following autoclaving, can
then be treated as regular waste and taken to a skip for disposal as landfill. Treated clinical waste
and treated sharps bins once cool, are taken and stored in a designated yellow skip for separate
collection by a designated specialist disposal company.
Have you checked all materials used are not hazardous to the environment?
YES
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Any special conditions specified as part of the permission to carry out the work/procedure and
actions needed to minimise risk e.g. adherence to HTA or body fluid policy 1.52, completion of
fieldwork risk assessment etc.
University codes for the disposal of contaminated waste (SAF003) to be observed at all times.
Prerequisites for use of the autoclave are that the unit should have been subject to regular servicing
by Priorclave engineers, routine maintenance specified by the manufacturer carried by trained
technical staff (all biological sciences technical staff are trained in autoclave use), and that the unit
been cleared for future use by an insurance assessment.
The unit should only be operated by technical staff. If during its operation the autoclave
demonstrates any kind of fault that cannot readily be rectified by the technical staff (i.e. a low water
fault indication simply requires topping up of the internal reservoir in the autoclave), or else
behaves at all abnormally, then its use must immediately cease and the matter quickly referred to a
Priorclave engineer.
Project advisor/Academic comments:
(Any disability issues to be aware of?)
n/a
Staff/Project advisor- What level of risk do you assign with this work?
High
Medium
Low
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Date: July 22nd 2013
Faculty H&S approval
Date of Review
August 2015
Audra Jones
Date: 29th August 2014
Any other comments?
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