Safety &
Sanitation
Veterinary Assisting
Mrs. Cook
Safety
People who work with animals are faced with
potentially hazardous situations on a daily basis.
Safety
• OSHA: Government agency that “assures safe
and healthful working conditions for working
men and women”.
• 1970: Occupational Health and Safety
Administration is created
Safety
• MSDS: Material Safety Data Sheet
• An MSDS is required to accompany any chemical that is
flammable, corrosive, or poisonous.
• Includes the following 8 sections:
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1. Manufacturer Information
2. Hazard Ingredients/Identity Information
3. Physical/Chemical Characteristics
4. Fire and Explosion Hazard Data
5. Reactivity Data
6. Health Hazard Data
7. Precautions for Safe Handling and Use
8. Control Measures
Safety Hazards-Chemical
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Drugs
Cleaning Agents
Insecticides
Anesthetic Gases
Safety Hazards-Chemical
• Chemical Hazard Symbols:
Alcohols
Examples: Ethyl alcohol, Isopropyl alcohol, Ethanol
• Effective against gram positive and negative bacteria
• Usually diluted to 60-70%
• Irritating to tissues, cytotoxic (toxic to living cells)
• Used as a solvent for disinfectants and antiseptics
Aldehydes
Examples: Gluteraldehyde, Formaldehyde
• Effective against gram positive and negative bacteria,
fungi, and most viruses
• Irritating and toxic to tissues
Chlorine
Example: Bleach
• Effective against gram positive and negative bacteria,
fungi, and most viruses
• Cheapest, most effective chemical disinfectant
• Irritating and toxic to tissues
Iodine and Iodophors
Examples: Betadine
• Effective against gram positive and negative bacteria, and
fungi
• Usually used in solution with water or alcohol
• Iodophors = iodine mixed with detergent to use as a surgical
scrub
• Stains and irritates tissues
• Kills microbes but has limited activity against bacterial
spores
Quaternary Ammonias
Examples: Centrimide, Quatsyl-D
• Effective against gram positive bacteria and some gram
negative bacteria, some fungi, and some viruses
Safety Hazards-Physical
Animal Injuries: Frightened or nervous animals are
more prone to biting, kicking, and scratches
• Proper restraint is imperative
• Especially dangerous with large animals
• Cat’s needle-like teeth and sharp claws harbor
bacteria
Safety Hazards-Physical
• Back injuries: improperly lifting heavy objects or
animals
Safety Hazards-Physical
• Falls on wet floors
• Exposure to X-Rays
Safety Hazards-Zoontoic
• Zoonotic: Any disease that can be passed from
animals to humans
• Viruses
• Bacteria
• Parasites
• Fungi
Safety Hazards-Zoontoic
• Virus: A pathogen consisting of a single nucleic
acid surrounded by a protein coat and having
the ability to replicate only within a living cell
• Viral Diseases:
• Rabies (Hydrophobia)
• Sleeping Sickness (Encephalitis)
Safety Hazards-Zoontoic
• Bacteria: A microorganism that can reproduce
on it’s own (doesn’t need a host cell)
• Bacterial Diseases:
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Cat Scratch Fever
Leptospirosis
Salmonellosis
Brucellosis
Anthrax
Tuberculosis
Safety Hazards-Zoontoic
• Parasite: An organism living within or on another
organism.
• Parasitic Diseases:
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Sarcoptic mange
Toxoplasmosis
Visceral Larva Migrans (Toxocariasis)
Creeping Eruption (Ancylostomiasis)
Safety Hazards-Zoontoic
• Fungal Diseases:
• Ringworm
Safety Hazards-Biological
Living tissue and organisms
Blood
Urine
Live Vaccines
Medical waste that has had contact with living
tissue (urine soaked blankets, bandage
material, etc.)
• Needles and scalpels—”Sharps”
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Safety Signs and Equipment
•Danger
Safety Signs and Equipment
• Biohazard
Safety Signs and Equipment
• Radioactive
Safety Signs and Equipment
•Wet Floor
Safety Signs and Equipment
•Dosimeter
Safety Signs and Equipment
•Lead Gloves
Safety Signs and Equipment
•Lead Apron
Safety Signs and Equipment
•Back Brace
Types of Sanitation
• Cleaning: Physically removing all visible
signs of dirt and organic matter such as
feces, blood, hair, etc.
• Disinfecting: Destroying most
microorganisms on nonliving things by
physical or chemical means
Types of Sanitation
• Sterilizing: Destroying ALL microorganisms
and viruses on an object using chemicals
and/or heat under pressure
• Antiseptics: Solutions that destroy
microorganisms or inhibit their growth on
living tissue
Methods of Sanitation
• Physical Cleaning: Using a chemical with
a mop or sponge
• Cold Sterilization: Soaking items in a
disinfectant chemical until they are used
• Dry Heat: Incinerating an object or
exposing it to flame
• Radiation: Using ultraviolet or gamma
rays
Methods of Sanitation
• Filtration: Removing particles from the air
using a physical barrier
• Ultrasound: Passing high frequency
sound waves through a solution to
cerate a vibration that scrubs an object
to remove the debris
• Autoclave: A sealed chamber in which
objects are exposed to heat and steam
under pressure
Drug Schedules
Schedule I: no medical use – high abuse
Heroin, Methaqualone, LSD, Peyote, Psilocybin, Marijuana,
Hashish, Hash Oil, amphetamine variants.
Schedule II: accepted medical use – high abuse
Dilaudid, Demerol, Methadone, Cocaine, PCP, Morphine,
and cannabis, amphetamine and barbiturate types.
Schedule III: accepted medical use – medium abuse
Opium, Vicodan, Tylenol w/codine, and narcotic,
amphetamine and barbiturate types.
Schedule IV: accepted medical use – low abuse
Darvocet, Xanax, Valium, Halcyon, Ambien, Ativan,
barbiturate types.
Schedule V: accepted medical use – very low abuse
Lomotil, Phenergan, liquid suspensions.