LABORATORY SAFETY
1) A technician is asked to clean out the chemical reagent storeroom and discard any
reagents not used in the past 5 years. How should the technician proceed?
a) Discard chemicals into biohazard containers where they will later be autoclaved
b) Pour reagents down the drain, followed by flushing of water
c) Consult MSDS sheets for proper disposal
d) Pack all chemicals for incineration
2) Using a common labeling system for hazardous material identification such as HMIS® or
NFPA 704, the top red quadrant represents which hazard?
a) Reactivity
b) Special reactivity
c) Health
d) Flammability
3) If the HMIS® OR NFPA 704 hazardous material identification system has a number 4 in
the left blue quadrant, it represents a:
a) High health hazard
b) Low health hazard
c) High reactivity hazard
d) Low reactivity hazard
4) Which chemical is a potential carcinogen?
a) Potassium chloride
b) Formaldehyde
c) Mercury
d) Picric acid
5) The HMIS® OR NFPA 704 hazardous material identification system rating for a slightly
toxic chemical would be:
6) A chemical that causes immediate visible destruction or irreversible alterations of
human tissue at the contact site is best classified as a(n):
7) Which hazardous chemical combinations are incompatible and should not be stored
together?
8) An example of personal protective equipment(PPE) for handling hazardous chemicals is:
9) Refer to the following illustration:
10) When working with sharp equipment and objects, use a:
11) Incident reports for occupational injury or Illness should:
12) According to OSHA, What type of warning sign should be posted in an area where an
immediate hazard exists and where special precautions are necessary?
13) All laboratory instrument should:
14) For fire safety and prevention:
15) What type of identification system does this symbol represent?
16) Flammable and combustible liquids in containers ≥5 gallons should be stored in a(n):
17) After receiving appropriate training, the first step in using a fire extinguisher is to:
18) To help prevent electrical fires in healthcare facilities:
19) In addition to keeping the load close to your body and tightening your abdominal
muscles when lifting heavy boxes of supplies, it is important to bend at the:
20) A fire occurs in the laboratory. The first course of action is to:
21) An electrical equipment fire breaks out in the laboratory. Personnel have been removed
from immediate danger, the alarm has been activated .What is the next action to be
taken?
22) Class C fires involve:
23) A technologist splashed a corrosive chemical in his/her eyes. To prevent permanent
injury, the first action should be to:
24) A technologist spilled concentrated hydrochloric acid on his/her clothing and skin,
affecting a large portion of the body. After removing involved clothing, the next first aid
treatment step would be to:
25) An example of personal protective equipment(PPE) is a(n):
26) Safety glasses, face shields or other eye and face protectors must be worn when:
27) To prevent injury, a safe lab work practice is to:
28) Safe handling and disposable of laboratory generated infectious waste require:
29) Which of the following is the best choice for decontaminating bench tops contaminated
by the AIDS virus?
30) The safest method of disposing of hypodermic needles is:
31) Infection rate is highest for laboratory professionals exposed to blood and body fluids
containing:
32) Which of the following forms of exposure places a technologist at the highest risk of
infection with human immunodeficiency virus(HIV)
33) Filters generally used in biological safety cabinets to protect the laboratory worker from
particulates and aerosols generated by microbiology manipulations are:
34) What is the single most effective method to prevent nosocomial spread of infection?
35) Use of “standard”(universal) precautions minimizes exposure to:
36) After an accidental needle stick with a contaminated needle,the first action should be
to:
37) What is the most likely mode of transmission of blood borne pathogens in laboratoryacquired infections?
38) Which infectious agent is considered to be the primary occupational health hazard
regarding transmission of blood borne pathogens?
39) When processing specimens for mycobacterial testing, what specific engineering control
must be used?
40) Hepatitis B vaccine is:
41) When cleaning up small (5mL) blood spill on the counter-top, the first step after donning
appropriate personal protective equipment is to:
42) The most effective disinfectant recommended for blood borne pathogens is:
43) While processing patient specimens, a technologist splashes a few small drops of a
bronchial wash specimen on his/her gloves. The first action should be to:
44) The symbol represents a: