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7. Contaminated materials used in laboratory tests should be decontaminated before
reprocessing or be placed in bags and disposed of in accordance with institutional and
local regulatory policies for disposal of infective waste.
8. Scientific equipment that has been contaminated with blood should be cleaned and then
decontaminated before being repaired in the laboratory or transported to the
manufacturer.
9. All persons should wash their hands after completing laboratory activities and should
remove protective clothing before leaving the laboratory.
10. Area posting of warning signs should be considered to remind employees of continuing
hazard of infectious disease transmission in the laboratory setting.
Workers in the forensic sciences or law enforcement officers routinely collect and
preserve forensic specimens including needles, knives, or other sharp objects that may be
contaminated with blood from a crime victim. Such objects represent a potential hazard to
persons handling this evidence. These specimens also require handling through a proper chain of
custody procedure to be used as evidence in court, so there is a need to preserve blood or fluids
or specimens without decomposition, precluding the use of airtight containers for some
specimens. The following basic guidelines are recommended:
1. Use puncture-proof, non-airtight containers for transportation of potentially contaminated
evidence with sharp or cutting edges. Clearly mark these containers, HANDLE WITH
CARE.
2. Sharp or pointed objects such as needles that are confiscated but not needed as evidence
should be properly discarded into designated puncture-proof containers that are clearly
labeled for use with infectious materials.
3. Each department should adopt standard safety procedures for search and seizure or
collection of evidence to include initial handling, transportation, booking in evidence,
storage, display, and disposal of potentially contaminated objects.
Specimens collected and transported in sealed containers that could undergo
decomposition or degradation, such as blood for toxicologic studies, should be processed without
delay. Such tissues or fluids obtained at the scene should be transported to the laboratory in
sealed containers such as plastic bags, tubes with tight-fitting stoppers, or jars with screw-cap
lids. These containers should be placed within a second sealed, leak proof container. Once in
the laboratory, the specimens should be initially handled in a specified area by persons wearing
protective clothing appropriate to the amount of manipulation of the specimen.[1095]
