Working with Human Tissue and Human Blood
If any work is planned which involves procuring, storing or processing human tissue then a licence to carry out these activities may be required under the Human Tissue Act 2004. Please contact the Institute Safety Advisor for further information. Code of Practice for Work with Human Tissue The following brief guidelines refer to the handling of all fresh (unfixed) human tissues, including blood, blood products and cultured cells. Good laboratory practice should be adhered to at all times. All staff must have their immune status to Hepatitis B checked before commencing work with human tissue and associated products. Further advice can be obtained from the UCL Occupational health department. 1. Work with human tissues should only be conducted within designated human tissue laboratories. Benches and floors must be of an adequate standard to permit effective cleaning. Laboratories must be identified by yellow ‘BIOHAZARD’ warning signs and preferably kept locked when not in use. Locations within designated laboratories where human tissues are handled or stored must also be clearly marked with ‘Biohazard’ warnings. Work trays marked with biohazard tape should be used in the designated laboratories. 2. Unfixed human tissues should be manipulated as far as possible in a Class II biological safety cabinet. This requirement applies to procedures such as dissection, extraction/homogenisation and tissue culture. The cabinet must be regularly maintained and serviced. 3. Waste tissue should be immersed overnight in a suitable disinfectant, such as 1% presept before being discarded in autoclave bags (double bagged) prior to autoclaving. Contaminated disposable lab-ware should be disinfected overnight before being autoclaved. Used sharps must be collected in a secure sharps container and then incinerated. Contaminated liquid waste (e.g. buffers, tissue culture media) should be dispensed into excess disinfectant before sink disposal. Re-usable glassware must first be disinfected as above and then placed in the white bins for washing. It is recommended that a wide spectrum chlorine based disinfectant such as presept tablets be always used. 4. Surfaces exposed to human tissues (including cryostats) should be cleaned and disinfected with presept after each use. Spills must be attended to in a scrupulous fashion. 5. Care must be taken to ensure that aerosols generated during, for example, gaseous perfusion or homogenisation of tissues, are not released into the laboratory environment. All biohazardous material should be centrifuged in sealed centrifuge buckets. If contamination of the centrifuge is suspected, the lid should be kept closed for a period of 30 minutes to allow aerosols to settle, prior to appropriate disinfection procedures. 6. Research Group Supervisors are responsible for ensuring that all personnel who work with human tissues are adequately trained and aware of the possible risks
Rev: 10/2007
involved. All staff working with human tissues should be immunised against Hepatitis B and any other infectious agents that a risk assessment may highlight (advice and details are available from the DSO). 7. Laboratory coats (“Howie-style” - side-fastening with gathered cuffs) safety spectacles (if not working in a Class II cabinet) and disposable gloves must be worn when handling human material. Laboratory coats and gloves must be removed before leaving the laboratory and should be frequently laundered. After removing laboratory coat and other protective equipment hands must be washed prior to leaving human tissue laboratory. An antiseptic liquid soap and dispenser is provided together with paper towels and waste bin. Blood Taking from Human Volunteers Only properly trained and designated individuals are allowed to take blood. Such individuals should be fully conversant with the latest information concerning the dangers of HIV and Hepatitis B. It is recommended that any person expecting to take blood should be formally trained. Blood must only be taken in a designated area. The area must be clean and contain the appropriate equipment: In addition to syringes and needles, there must also be a yellow sharps bin for disposal of sharps, Biohazard bags for swabs etc to be autoclaved, sterile swabs for cleaning the skin, patches, disposable gloves and tissues to contain any spillage. A chlorine based disinfectant e.g. presept or domestos must also be available. Vacutainers should be used wherever possible and staff must be totally familiar with new techniques before using them in earnest. The main danger of transmitting infection is through a ‘needle-stick’ injury. Used needles must NEVER BE RESHEATHED. Great care should be exercised when using butterflies as on removal they tend to drip blood and are difficult to hold whilst detaching from a syringe. All sharps should be immediately disposed of into a Sharps bin. These must only be filled 75% before sealing shut and removing for incineration. If the skin is punctured or cut, the wound should be encouraged to bleed and washed thoroughly with cold running water. All needle-stick injuries must be recorded as an accident to the DSOs and referred to Occupational Health Department ASAP. Spillages must be cleared up using domestos or presept and disposable tissues. All waste to be placed in biohazard bags for autoclaving.
Rev: 10/2007