2014/2015
FACULTY OF COMPUTING, ENGINEERING & SCIENCES – SCHOOL OF SCIENCES RISK
ASSESSMENT FORM
Procedure:

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
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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:
MB20
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 autoclaves situated in R215 Autoclave
Room Science Centre ( the designated waste-only autoclave is subject to a separate
assessment)
Description of experimental procedure/practical session
Three Priorclave autoclaves - a 150 litre capacity unit (*Serial No. 1466 - purchased in
1999), a further 150 litre capacity unit of a later model (*Serial No. 2621 - purchased in 2008)
and a 100 litre capacity unit (*Serial No, 1824 - purchased in 2011) are routinely used to
sterilise media bottles of agar/broth together with glassware and any other items required for
practical or project work. All glassware should be contained within autoclavable baskets or
cages. Care should be taken to ensure when loading 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 sterilisation of agar media, broths and glassware should be typically be 121º
C at a pressure of 1 Bar for a minimum of 15 minutes, although these settings can be
changed (refer to Priorclave Manuals kept in R215) and for particularly heat-sensitive media
(e.g. XLD agar, milk), the maximum temperature setting and the time period may require
downwards adjustment Under normal circumstances (i.e. without use of an over-ride key),
autoclaves cannot be opened until the temperature on the external dial falls below 60º C (or
lower, depending upon the particular unit).
The autoclaves are all connected to a common series of vent piping (shared with a further
Priorclave autoclave designated solely for waste treatment - see separate PRA
assessment) which serves to convey externally any contaminated steam and condensate
and prevent fouling of room R215 and the surrounding laboratory (R217).
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
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.
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
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
Autoclaving of agar presents particular hazards i.e.
possibility of scalding or burning.
2
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.
COSSH assessment (harmful substances)
Hazardous to the
Aquatic Environment
(W)
Acute Toxicity (T+)
Gases Under
Pressure (G)
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)
Chemicals involved
(including Products):
COSHH information
as above:
Minimum handling
precautions:
Quantity to be
used: ml/g/%
solution/M
Microorganisms:
Classification:
Minimum handling precautions:
Hazards:
Minimum handling
precautions:
n/a
Other Materials:
Quantity to be
used:
3
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:
1-2mls
Yes
No
√
Disposal information (How will all reactants/products be disposed of?)
Excess sterile molten agar and sterile broth media should be disposed of down the drain of the main
sink accompanied by flushing with a large volume of water.
Have you checked all materials used are not hazardous to the environment?
YES
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.
Prerequisites for use of the autoclaves are that the units 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 units been cleared for future use by an insurance assessment.
The units should only be operated by technical staff. If during its operation an autoclave
demonstrates any kind of fault that can not 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?)
None
Staff/Project advisor- What level of risk do you assign with this work?
High
Medium
Low
√
nd
Date: July 22 2013
Faculty H&S approval Audra Jones
Date: 29th August 2014
4
Date of Review
August 2015
Any other comments?
5