Quality Assurance (QA) in the biology lab
A. Health and safety

Induction before starting to work in the bio lab. o Read COSHH forms, SOP and protocols and sign off. o Radiation safety course for all newcomers. o Update when there is new COSHH forms or SOP.

New COSHH form to be written up when mutagenic/carcinogenic chemical or reagent are used with MSDS attached. o COSHH forms send to Health & Safety office for approval. o COSHH forms must be read and sign off before experiments starts.

Chairs for bench work (ergonomic) o Suitable for work chair [Occupational Overuse Syndrome
(OOS)]. o Chairs that do not occupy too much place.

Swab laboratory at random for bacteria and fungi every six months and send to microbiology departments for test (mycoplasma).

Fumigations of lab once every 2 years
B. Equipments and apparatus
1.
Micropipettes and automated dispenser

Needs to be calibrated once a year professionally.

Sterile with 70% alcohol before and after use.

Kept in an upright position on the rack after use.

Always charged the automated dispenser after use.
2.
Incubators

Service once every two years to check thermometer and carbon dioxide detectors are functioning accurately. Place a thermometer inside to check temperature once every 6 months.

Spring clean once a year.

Use autoclaved deionise water for humidity.

Protocol to clean incubators after a spill.
3.
Water bath

Change deionised water once a month with
160µl
of Sigma Clean water bath treatment per litre of water.

Scrub the bottom of the water bath tank once in 6 months.

Check the thermometer is functioning accurately once a year.

Switch it off when not in use.
4.
Centrifuge [ Biofuge Primo R and Heraues Pico 21 (for Eppendorf tubes) ]

Centrifuge must be kept closed when not in used.

Tubes must be clean and balanced before operating.

Professional maintenance every 18 months, including service of the temperature detector.
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Quality Assurance (QA) in the biology lab

Clean after each use and switch it off.

SOP available for cleaning after spillage in the centrifuge.
5.
Laminar air flow (LAF)

Sterile with 70% alcohol before and after use.

Waste bottles in the LAF must be filled with approximate 40 ml Bio
Cleanse before use. Keep waste bottle closed tight after use.

Fumigate once every 2 years.

Professional service and change filter when required, including testing the airflow.
6.
Fridge and freezer

Do not open the freezer too long as it will increase ice formation.

Scrap off ice when needed and keep it neat and tidy.

Labelled everything kept in the fridge/freezer with name, date and year.

Only clean bottles are allowed in the fridge/freezer.

Check every 3 months and discard expired items.

Any spill, clean according to SOP.
7.
Liquid nitrogen Dewar.

Check for temperature accuracy.

Check for microplasmas once a year.

Do not place vial on the top level of the holder.

Always check nitrogen level (top up) to ensure optimum temperature.

Top up nitrogen weekly on Friday.
8.
Microscopes

Clean after use and turn off.

Never use alcohol to wipe the stage as this will unglued the joints.

Lens paper to be used when cleaning lens and not tissue paper.

Need to be professionally serviced every 18 months, including lens clean, and service of the stage and the technical parts.
9.
Autoclave

Train new user before usage.

Clean the autoclave according to SOP.

Everything that is to be autoclaved must be pasted with autoclave tapes.

Always check for water level before use.
10.
Neubauer chambers

Clean immediately after use (SOP).

Place in a Petri dish with cover to avoid dust.
11.
Cells shaker

Operate according to supplier instructions.

Need to be placed on a stable place.
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Quality Assurance (QA) in the biology lab
12.
Sonicator

Use according to supplier instructions.

Wash and keep dry when not in use.
13.
Coulter counter

Calibrate once a year with beads.

When using a different size cells, needs to calibrate the aperture.

Read SOP.
14.
Vortex

Use on a stable place.

Clean after use.
15.
End-stage of vertical beam

Keep the aperture and stage clean to prevent contamination of cells.

Always keep the door closed when beam is running.

Ensure two persons are present when working with beam.

Keep the stage area tidy and clean at all time.
16.
Chemical cabinet in the lab.

Labelled every chemical bottle.

Discard expired chemical and reagents.

Arrange the chemicals in alphabetical order.
17.
Tubing for extraction of waste from dishes/plates

Tubing must be kept clean; hang it up and don’t leave it lying on the floor on in the yellow bin.

Make sure the tubing is clear of crystal violet stain and sterile with
70% alcohol and wipe dry after use.

Avoid dripping crystal violet stain on the floor and clean immediately when spilled.
C. Reagents and chemicals

Store in a well conditioned cupboard.

Indicate the date of opening and name on the bottles.

Check for expiry dates, using the earliest first.

Always be on the look out for contaminations before use of media.

For commonly used reagent, use the opened bottle first.

Sterile with 70% alcohol and wipe dry before and after use.
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Quality Assurance (QA) in the biology lab
D. Supplies and perishables

Store plastic supplies in the metal cupboard outside the lab.

Autoclaved before use: o Micropipettes tips o Deionised water for incubator o Mylar dishes

Absolute ethanol kept in the chemical cabinet. o Use as 70% alcohol from this as disinfectant.

Deionise water; o Make sure it is microorganism free, test once a year by collecting the water and test for mycoplasma.

Do stock check once a month.

When placing orders, go through the person in-charge (currently Ming
Chew) to avoid double orders.

Orders must be approved by the person-in-charge before going through to Karen Arthur.
E. Cell lines

Always work with one cell line at a time to avoid cross contamination.

For non commercial cell lines, mycoplasmas must be tested before the start of any experiments. (Required for reports to be published and working in other lab).

Advisable to test for mycoplasma once a year for all cell line.

Freeze down cells that are not in use according to SOP.

When thawing cell line, washed off DMSO before seeding. For media containing serum, add more serum to remove DMSO.
F. Ambience

Optimised temperature must be constant to maintain media kept in the cupboard. Check every month by monitoring the daily chart collected.

General cleaning procedures (for cleaners). o Mop the floor with disinfectant once a week. o Vacuum the floor once a week (underneath trolley, etc). o ‘Spring clean day’ once a year (also involves staff).

Roster for maintenance of the general ambience by co-workers will be devised by person-in-charge. o Deionised water and absolute ethanol from chemistry lab. o Yellow bins. o Sharp bins. o Water bath maintenance. o Liquid nitrogen tank (top up every week).
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Quality Assurance (QA) in the biology lab o Lab coats (send for washing in Chemistry dept). o It is everyone’s responsibility to see that their rostered action is completed, arranging their own cover where necessary.
G. Waste

Closed yellow bin lid after use.

Never place liquid in the yellow bins.

Fill and labelled waste bottles with approximately 40ml of Bio Cleanse and cap securely after use.

Full waste bottle caps must be tightly secured and discard in the yellow bin.

Yellow bin send to waste area in the estate and facility site.

Never pour carcinogenic/mutagenic/poisonous/flammable liquid into the sink. Discard in waste bottle for officially approved disposal.
Author: Ming Chew
Referee: Charlie Jeynes
Date: 15 March 2010
Date: 27 April 2010
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