STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE
Procedure
Cleanup of Biohazard Spill
School/Department:
SOP prepared by:
School of Biological Sciences
Davorka Bilic (WHS) and Nick Coleman (SMB) edited M
Joseph
Section 1 - Personal Protective Equipment
1. Gloves eg. nitrile or latex
2. Lab Gown (back fastening) with full-length sleeves – this is preferable to a regular
lab coat for work with risk group 2 microbes
3. Safety glasses or goggles
4. Hair tied back if long
5. Proper enclosed footwear
6. P2-type respirator if aerosol hazard of risk group 2 microbes exists
Section 2 – Potential Hazards
1. Infection of worker with biohazard
2. Irritation of eyes / skin with disinfectant chemicals
3. Contamination of environment with recombinant DNA materials
Section 3 – Procedure
1. All laboratory staff working with biohazards must understand the *specific* risks
associated with the organisms they work on –ask your supervisor if unsure
2. All laboratory staff working with biohazards must be trained and competent in
the clean up/decontamination of work surfaces and spills involving these
biohazards – this may include risk group 1,2,3 microorganisms or OGTR-regulated
recombinant DNA materials.
3. Know the location of spill kits, eyewashes, safety showers, fire extinguishers and
fire blankets before starting work.
4. Ensure that a proper biohazard spill kit is present close to the work area. This
needs to contain: absorbent pads/towelling, suitable disinfectant (1 % bleach
solution – prepared fresh), gloves, goggles, face masks, contaminated waste
bag, long forceps to handle broken glass
5. Note that a P2 type respirator can be found in the main spills kit on level 4,
outside the school admin office
6. In the event of a spill, make sure other staff working in the immediate area are
warned about the spill immediately
7. If the spill involves potentially infectious agents (eg. human clinical specimens or
risk group 2 or 3 microbes), vacate the area for at least 30 minutes to allow
aerosol particles to settle before commencing clean up
8. Report all spills to your supervisor as soon as possible and any external spills
outside the Building to the University Biosafety Officer on ext 14126 or 17910
9. Contain the spill by placing absorbent towelling around the spill. Wet the
towelling with 1% freshly made sodium hypochlorite (bleach) solution
10. Cover the spill with extra towelling, and carefully wet with 1% bleach solution
11. Allow the bleach to soak into the spill and decontaminate for 20-30 minutes;
12. Carefully wipe surrounding surfaces likely to have been contaminated with
aerosols using fresh towelling soaked with 1% bleach solution;
13. Carefully wipe up the spillage with the soaked towelling and transfer all
contaminated material into a plastic biohazard bag provided in the Spill Kit.
Issue date: 20/11/12
Review date: 20/11/13
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14. Dry area with clean towelling. Dispose of this towelling also into the same
biohazard bag.
15. The bleach-containing waste should be labelled as “Bleach-containing spill
cleanup” and the name / type of the biohazard, then disposed of in the large
yellow ‘Sulo’ bin Behind Macleay Building A12 – do not autoclave bleachcontaining materials !
16. Remove gloves, gown, safety glasses and face mask/respirator and wash hands
thoroughly. If lab gown has been contaminated, autoclave this ASAP.
Section 4 - Material safety data sheets (to be available and accessible)
1. Sodium hypochlorite; Chlorine;
2. Microorganisms/GMOs involved
Section 5 - References
1. WHSS (sydney.edu.au/whs/guidelines/biosafety/index.shtml) website;
2. AS/NZS 2243.1:2005 – Safety in Laboratories: Planning and Operational Aspects;
3. AS/NZS 2243.3:2010 – Safety in Laboratories: Microbiological safety and
containment;
4. AS/NZS 2243.10:2004 – Safety in Laboratories: Storage of Chemicals;
5. AS/NZS 2252.4:2010 – Biological safety cabinets Classes I & II - Installation and use.
6. OGTR Guidelines for Certification of a Physical Containment Level 2 Laboratory
Risk assessment for biohazard spills
7. Risk assessment and SOP for Risk group 2 microorganisms and/or Animals+Animal
Tissues and/or Humans/human tissues
Issue date: 20/11/12
Review date: 20/11/13
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SOP Training Confirmation
By signing below, these individuals confirm that they have read and
understood the SOP, and agree to always follow the instructions in this
SOP when performing this procedure.
Position
Name
Signature
Date
Supervisor
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
employee / student
WHS Committee Approval
Representative: A. Prof Frank Seebacher Chair Safety Committee
Signature: ........................................................ Date: .....................................
Issue date: 20/11/12
Review date: 20/11/13
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