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: SOP 6
Project advisor:
Staff: Dr Angela Priestman
Ethical consideration:
No ethics declaration
Date submitted/passed
Submitted
19/05/14
Title of project/module (include module number):
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE:
Culturing haematophagous insects: British Mosquitoes with the insectary R127 Science
Centre
Description of experimental procedure/practical session
Field collected British mosquitoes will be collected as larvae, pupae and/or adults from field sites in
the United Kingdom. Separate fieldwork risk assessments are in existence for collection procedures
and as further field sites are deemed suitable for collection, new risk assessments will be prepared.
Dealing with larvae and pupae
Larvae and pupae will be placed in tap water contained in shallow trays or small plastic/ enamel
pots. These will be kept on the designated bench top area or shelving within the insectary R127.
All trays will be covered with weighted framed mesh covers. Smaller pots of larvae/pupae may be
placed within cube mosquito cages where they can remain uncovered, to allow for adult emergence.
On occasion pupae will be placed individually within screw top vials. The resulting emerged adults
will either be released into netted cages or killed by placing tubes in the fridge/freezer for 5 minutes.
Except for inspection or transfer purposes, pupae and larvae will remain under netting cover at all
times.
Larval trays must be checked daily* for pupae and any pupae are to be removed using plastic
pipettes into smaller pots and placed within netted mosquito cages.
Where daily inspection is not possible it is the responsibility of all staff and students to ensure that
late stage larvae (from 3rd instar onwards) and pupae are placed within smaller pots in netted cages.
Any larval trays containing emerged adults will be destroyed. This is done by taping the cover to the
tray and placing the whole tray in the freezer.
Dealing with adult flies
Adult mosquitoes are to be kept within netted mosquito cages. All nets are to be inspected before
use for holes, tears and rips through which adult flies can escape. Torn or ripped nets are to be taken
out of use and set aside for repair.
Adult mosquitoes are to be supplied with saturated sugar (sucrose) solution via wetted cotton wool
placed on the top of the cage. This should be replaced daily. Used cotton wool should be placed in
the waste bin for disposal.
Moving adult flies (for example from cage to cage) is done using a pooter/electronic aspirator only as
follows:
Sleeve to mosquito cage
Hold netting tightly around arm
Untie the knotted cage sleeve, taking care to keep the sleeve twisted to prevent escape.
Place aspirator in one hand making sure that the sleeve is kept tightly around the arm as shown
above. Use the aspirator swiftly and purposefully. Remove arm and aspirator carefully ensuring that
no adults escape during the process. Twist the sleeve and then knot it. Place a cotton wool bung in
the aspirator tube to prevent escape.
Blood feeding using the Hemotek artificial feeder unit
Adult mosquitoes can be fed using the artificial feeder unit. This comprises the power source and
heated plate feeders to which the reservoir of blood is attached (see below).
Collagen membrane from a local butcher is used to cover the reservoir chamber and animal blood
(variously porcine, bovine, ovine and goose) is obtained from local abattoirs by technical staff and
heparin added to prevent clotting.
<25 ml of blood per reservoir unit is required and a maximum of 4 reservoirs can be used at any one
time. Gloves are to be worn at all times when preparing and using the feeder units. Any excess to
2
requirement blood is disposed of by first autoclaving before disposing as biohazard waste.
Reservoirs are placed on top of netted cages for mosquitoes to feed on.
Used membranes, gloves and any other blood contaminated materials are disposed of in clinical
waste. Feeder reservoirs must be soaked in 2% virkon and rinsed thoroughly with water before reuse.
Dealing with blood fed adult flies
Fed adult flies are kept in netted mosquito cages and provided with small pots of water containing
Whatman no.1 filter paper draped over the sides as a substrate for oviposition. Cages containing
both males and blood fed females are to be check every other day for eggs and pots removed if eggs
are present. Adult flies are to be provided with sucrose solution on cotton wool, to be replaced daily
(as above).
Killing adult flies
Adult mosquitoes are best killed by chilling in the fridge or freezer for 5 minutes. All adults killed in
this way must be contained within specimen tubes with lids or contained within a desiccator over
silica gel. All such tubes to be fully labelled.
Insectary cleanliness
All users of the insectary are equally charged with maintaining cleanliness of the insectary. This
includes wiping down of surfaces after use with 2% Virkon or equivalent, removal of all used sugar
soaked cotton wool to the bin. Emptying of the bin when it is full. If contaminated waste bin requires
removal, users should contact members of the technical staff team.
Inappropriately managed cultures
Any cultures that have been poorly maintained will be destroyed without notice.
Working in the insectary
All staff and students working in the insectary should ensure that they have read, understood and
signed SAF 005 guidelines for the code of practice for use of insect rearing room R127 adhering to all
prohibitions as highlighted. Ensure that the ‘in use’ sign on the door is flicked and return to ‘not in
use’ on leaving. This is to ensure that in the case of an emergency evacuation, it is known that
individuals are working within the insectary.
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)
Risk of being bitten
SAF001, SAF005 Risk minimised through
adherence to procedures listed above
Blood contaminated material
SAF012 Risk minimised through adherence to
procedures listed above
Electrical hazard from feeder unit
Regular testing of equipment
COSSH assessment (harmful substances)
Minimum handling precautions
3
Hazardous to the
Aquatic Environment
(W)
Acute Toxicity (T+)
Gases Under
Pressure (G)
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
Virkon
Possible irritant
Gloves
Microorganisms:
Classification:
Minimum handling precautions:
Other Materials:
Hazards:
Minimum handling
precautions:
Haematophgaous insects
Possible biting
hazard
Practice to minimise
escape
Quantity to be
used:
4
Do any of the above substances have a workplace
exposure limit (WEL) please state value and
precautions:
No
Disposal information (How will all reactants/products be disposed of?)
Blood contaminated material to be autoclaved and then disposed.
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.
This risk assessment is to be used in conjunction with field work risk assessment to collect source
material for British mosquito colonies and SAF 005
Project advisor/Academic comments:
(Any disability issues to be aware of?)
Staff/Project advisor- What level of risk do you assign with this work?
High
Medium
Low YES
Date:
Faculty H&S approval Audra Jones
Date of Review
August 2015
Date: 29th August 2014
Any other comments?
5