2015/2016
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, reviewed on an annual
basis
Experimenters complete Risk Assessment in consultation with supervisor and technical staff
as appropriate
Academic/technicians forward all experimenters copies to Faculty Health & Safety
Advisor/nominated personnel for sign off then copy returned
Experimenters to keep copies of Risk Assessments when working in the laboratories
Notes:
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No laboratory work is to commence without a risk assessment signed off by Faculty Health &
Safety advisor or for experimenters by the supervisor and Faculty Health & Safety
Advisor/nominated individual
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: SOP 11
Supervisor:
Staff: Mishele Barrigas
Ethical consideration:
Date submitted/passed
Title of project/module (include module number):
IN PREPARATION FOR -
SHS82310-6/ BIOL60496 Advanced DNA Profiling
SHS80707-M Molecular Diagnostics
SCM8205-M DNA Profiling
FORE50317 – DNA Profiling and Forensic Biology
FORE70336 – Forensic Chemical and Biological Techniques (MSci Module)
FORE70291 – Practical Support Two (Masters Summer practical week)
General Technical procedure
Description of experimental procedure/practical session
Purification of DNA from a Buccal scrape (QIAmp DNA Micro Kit)
Scrape the inside of the cheek with an omni swab and eject it into a 2 ml tube. Add
Buffer ATL and Proteinase K, incubate shaking at 56oC for 10 min, add AL buffer and
re-incubate, shaking, at 70oC for 10 min. Add Ethanol vortex and centrifuge. Transfer
lysate to the spin column, centrifuge, discard flow through and repeat. Add AW1
buffer, centrifuge, discard flow through and add AW2 buffer, centrifuge and discard
flow through. Recentrifuge to dry membrane before adding PCR water, incubate at
RT for 1 minute before centrifugation for 1 minute. Transfer entire contents of flow
through to a sterile 1.5 ml tube.
Hazards inherent in the work, record details and
possibility of harm:
(equipment, procedures, invertebrate
/environmental samples, body fluids)
Record precautions which will be taken:
(e.g. Any standard operating procedures to
follow, SAF codes, faculty policies)
Electrical hazards: Vortex, microcentrifuge,
heating block.
Ensure all equipment has been
electrically tested and has passed,
before use.
Buffers AL and AW1 contain guanidine
hydrochloride, which can form highly
reactive compounds when combined with
bleach.
During extraction procedure no bleach
or acidic reagents allowed near the
area or during clean up.
All reagents are used in small volumes.
COSSH assessment (harmful substances)
Minimum handling precautions
Toxicity data:
Hazardous to the aquatic environment
Acute toxicity
Gases under pressure
Corrosive
Explosive
Flammable
Caution
Oxidising
Longer term health hazards
Fume cupboard (F)
Safety glasses (SG)
Microbiological cabinet (Cab)
Laminar flow cabinets (LF)
Gloves (GL)
Face mask (M)
Respirator (R)
Other
All INFOMRATION CAN BE FOUND ON
MSDS (MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEETS)
ON THE INTERNET OR SCIENCES CHEMICAL
DATABASE ON-LINE OR WITHIN EACH OF
THE LABORATORIES
Chemicals involved
(including Products):
Toxicity data as
above:
Minimum handling
precautions:
Quantity to be
used: ml/g/%
solution
Fl, C
C
Gl
Gl
500 µl
600 µl
C
Gl
600 µl
Per sample
Buffer AW2 (70% ethanol)
Buffer AL (+ guanidinium
chloride)
Buffer ATL
(+SDS + edetic
acid)
Buffer AW1 (+guanidine
2
hydrochloride) (56% ethanol)
Proteinase K
100% Ethanol
PCRWater
Fl, C
C
C, Fl
C,
Gl
Gl
Gl
Gl
Microorganisms:
Classification:
Minimum handling precautions:
Do any of the above substances have a workplace
exposure limit (WEL) please state value and
precautions: OES 1000ppm/8Hr TWA (ethanol)
600 µl
20 µl
300 µl
50-150 µl
Yes
No
Disposal information (How will all reactants/products be disposed of?)
All waste lysate to be dispensed, during procedure, into a dedicated and correctly
labelled bottle. This bottle is to be treated as clinical waste (autoclaved in a red
hazard bag before storing in the clinical waste bin for collection by a dedicated
company).
Pipette tips, tubes etc are disposed of in clinical waste cartons, autoclaved and
stored for collection, as above.
Have you checked all reactants 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.
Informed consent and declaration forms to be completed by any persons
performing this procedure on their DNA * . These forms are retained by the technical
manager.
Adherence to Human tissue act must be followed. Human body fluid policy 1.52 to
be adhered too.
Supervisor/Academic comments:
(Any disability issues to be aware of?)
Staff/Supervisor - What level of risk do you assign with this work?
High
Medium
Low
Date: 2 September. 2015
Faculty H&S approval
Date of Review
Date:
September 2016
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