====UNIVERSAL PRECAUTION====

1.Protection of staff against laboratory infection 
  *All laboratory personnel are informed of the hazards including transmission of      viral       infection involved in working in a laboratory. Possible route of infection may be skin abrasion or puncture or through body orifices.
  *In case of incidental exposure to infected (HIV reactive) samples like needle stick injury, wash the hand with soap &water and shall immediately be reported to authority. Use post exposure prophylaxis as per guidelines of regulatory authority. 
  *Immunization of the laboratory staff against hepatitis-B infection is  implemented. 

2.Personnel Protection 
  *Access to the lab is restricted to authorized personnel only.
  *All work surfaces are decontaminated after any spillage and at the end of each working day, 
  *The staff is made aware of universal precautions as under
**Hands **
  -Wash hands before leaving the laboratory, and before eating or drinking. 
  -Wash hands immediately after they have been in contact with blood or blood products. 
  -Wear disposable gloves when handling all materials suspected of being infective or when opening samples of blood. 
  -Keep open wounds and cuts covered with an adhesive dressing or disposable gloves during working.
  -Never invert a tube containing blood or a blood derivative by covering the mouth of the tube with a finger. 
  -
**Coats **
  -Always use a clean lab coat with buttons closed- while working.
  -If a laboratory coat becomes -soiled with blood or serum, change to a clean one. The soiled coat should be soaked in hypochlorite or autoclaved before it is laundered.
  -Do not wear lab coat when you proceed for lunch. 

**Mouth **
  -Do not put fingers or other objects such as pens, in the mouth.
  -Do not use mouth pipeting
  -Eating, drinking, smoking is not permitted in any working area of the laboratory.
  - No food or beverage be stored in any laboratory refrigerator, freezer, hot air oven or incubator.
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Avoiding needle stick injuries.

Never recap or bend needles 

Dispose all sharps in puncture proof containers.