Containment Laboratory access

The converse situation is the housing of primates. They are extremely susceptible to human diseases such as measles and tuberculosis. It is sometimes advisable to design their holding facilities under positive pressure with limited access. A typical design is similar to containment laboratories with an ante room for clothes change and showering. 

In many laboratory information systems, electronic entry either in the laboratory or at a nursing station of a test order for a uniquely identified patient generates a specimen label bearing a unique laboratory accession number. A record is established that remains incomplete until a result (or set of results) is entered into the computer against the accession number. The unique label is affixed to the specimen collection container when the blood is drawn. Proper alignment of the label on the collection container is critical for subsequent specimen processing when using bar coded labels. Arrival of the specimen in the laboratory is recorded by a manual or computerized log-in procedure. In other systems, the specimen is labeled at the patient s bedside with the patient identification and collection information and enters... 

The Chemical Information System (CIS) is used for chemical container tracking (inventory) and MSDS access. The system data is updated daily. Each container is bar-coded either by the JIT vendor, the laboratory owner, or the chemical inventory team. Every employee at SNL can view the data and perform searches. The bar-code number on each container allows access to information about the chemical name, location, quantity, NFPA codes, SARA codes, CAS number, specific gravity or density, and corresponding MSDS, synonyms mixture ingredients and percentage vendor information dates in and out and chemical owner. Information is obtained from the JIT and other vendors, lab owners, and the Chemical Inventory Team. Vendors supplying bulk quantities of chemicals (diesel fuel, liquid nitrogen, etc.) notify the CIS Team when they fill tanks. 

Containment Laboratory A major feature of a containment laboratory is a controlled access zone. Containment laboratories have specialized ventilation... 

Figure 11.1 Partial containment laboratory. These laboratories are characterized by monolithic floors, walls, and ceilings restricted access special ventilation and other physical design features as described in Chapter 10. (Centers for Disease Control photo by author.)...

A First Aid Box or Cupboard should be kept in a readily accessible position in the laboratory and should contain the following articles clearly labelled ... 

Adapting the system to a mobile unit involved redesigning the instrumentation for portability and mounting it into a 3 A x 5-ft steel cart. A major requirement for this unit was containment of the Line-Lite laser, optical elements, and detection module in a clean laboratory environment. Other requirements included high ground clearance, accessibility to electricity within 100 ft, and durable construction. The entire mobile unit can be powered by a 5-kW gasoline generator. 

It is important to keep the amount of potentially hazardous waste in the laboratory to a minimum at all times. Periodically, contents of the laboratory waste containers will be transferred to appropriate containers for final disposal. These must be stored in a safe location, often outdoors, while awaiting pick-up by a disposal service. There will be local restrictions for such storage. A locked storage area may be needed, for example, to prevent unauthorized access to hazardous materials. The fire department niiay set strict limits as to how much flammable material may be present. All containers must be marked with contents, and the storage area will no doubt require warning signs. 

This brings to mind another common problem. SOPs must be readily available in areas where GLP work is conducted. Protocols also must be accessible. Even when these documents exist only in electronic form, they must still be available, especially in the laboratory and study rooms. This means that computer systems that contain these documents must be available in the laboratory and study rooms and that all personnel who conduct work according to these SOPs must have access. The same is true for protocols and protocol changes. In cases where a merged system exists, i.e., both paper and electronic media are simultaneously in use, it is perfectly acceptable that only the electronic form is available in the laboratory areas while electronic or paper documents are available in offices. The only caveat is that a process must be in place to ensure the equivalency of the electronic and paper media. 

Few laboratories have developed their own facilities for packing conventional and small bore columns, preferring to rely on commercial manufacturers for their needs. This is understandable since packed columns containing any common phase can be obtained at an acceptable cost and with a guarantee of acceptable performance and stability. Column packing generally requires access to equipment not readily available in all laboratories and... 

Some LC/MS users adhere to isocratic separation because of the myths around gradient elution (it is complex to develop and transfer between instruments and laboratories, it is inherently slower than isocratic methods because of re-equilibration, and other reasons summarized by Carr and Schelling6). A researcher may have a very good reason to use an isocratic method, for example, for a well defined mixture containing only a few compounds. The isocratic method would certainly not be useful in an open access LC/MS system processing varying samples from injection to injection. 

To properly accession and purify nucleic acids for analysis, the receiving laboratory must know the sample type. Both heparin and urine have been reported to inhibit PCR, to the detriment of blood samples containing the former and nearly all samples of the latter. In recent years, extraction technology and amplification chemistry have improved so that each sample type is susceptible to analysis. Proper identification of sample type provides the receiving laboratory with an opportunity to apply appropriate techniques to its extraction and analysis. 

Laboratories using automated data collection systems must evaluate the need for systems security by determining whether or not their systems contain confidential data to which access must be restricted. If it is determined that access should be restricted, security procedures must be implemented. 

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Available online. URL http //www.llnl.gov/. Accessed May 28,2009. This Web site contains... 

The Concise Guides address topics of special concern to psychiatrists in clinical practice. The books in this series contain a detailed table of contents, along with an index, tables, figures, and other charts for easy access. The books are designed to fit into a laboratory coat pocket or jacket pocket, which makes them a convenient source of information. References have been limited to those most relevant to the material presented. 

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