TO NOT ALLOW TO WORK ALONE IN THE LABORATORY
On February 09, 2018, the Ministry of Health issues the Circular No. 04/2018/TT-BYT on good laboratory practice, takes effect on March 26, 2018.
Within that, there are 11 requirements about safety in laboratory, include:
- Safety data sheets should be available to staff before testing is carried out;
- Staff should be aware of the need to avoid working alone in the laboratory;
- Smoking, eating and drinking in the laboratory should be prohibited;
- Staff should be familiar with the use of fire-fighting equipment, including fire extinguishers, fire blankets and gas masks;
- Staff should wear laboratory coats or other protective clothing, including eye protection;
- Special care should be taken, as appropriate, in handling, for example, highly potent, infectious or volatile substances;
- Highly toxic and/or genotoxic samples should be handled in a specially designed facility to avoid the risk of contamination;
- All containers of chemicals should be fully labeled and include prominent warnings (e.g. “poison”, “flammable”, “radioactive”) whenever appropriate;
- Adequate insulation and spark-proofing should be provided for electrical wiring and equipment, including refrigerators;
- Rules on safe handling of cylinders of compressed gases should be observed and staff should be familiar with the relevant color identification codes;
- First-aid materials should be provided and staff instructed in first-aid techniques, emergency care and the use of antidotes.
