[Nhcoll-l] Safety of specimen prep

[Kathryn Makos]

Dear Becky,

There may be a third way, between moving out of a facility and discontinuing
operations, involving a dialogue with your occupational health and safety
professionals regarding upgrading your safe work practices and installing
biosafety hoods (minimum of non-ducted HEPA filtered biocabinets for control
of toxic particulates - not solvents - during opening of packages or
preparing specimens that are unprocessed or unknown as to processing).

The Smithsonian's Safety Manual policy and practices chapter on Control of
Zoonotic Hazards is a good reference to start with: 
http://www.ofeo.si.edu/safety_health/docs/safety_manual/pdf%20PRISMout/ch_44
_zoonoses.pdf

It notes that: USDA recommended post-mortem processing methods must be
employed to deactivate pathogens. These methods include: heat treatment of
at least 180oC or approved disinfectant. [I believe field fixing/preserving
in formalin or ethanol works as well].

In the U.S., the basic reference for all safe work practices, safety
equipment and facilities design is Biosafety in Microbiological and
Biomedical Laboratories, 5th or latest edition, by the U. S. Department of
Health and Human Services (DHHS).
http://www.cdc.gov/biosafety/publications/bmbl5/.

Finally, although this next guidebook centers on US policies for live lab
animals, the latest edition has a few pages (pg 17+) on the requirement to
have an Occupational Health and Safety risk management plan at the facility;
again of use in guiding your facility's efforts.
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/Guide-for-the-care-and-use-of-laboratory-a
nimals.pdf

Collection care folks on this list will have more specific recommendations
and hopefully guidelines or work space designs that they use successfully,
but mine are a start from the Occupational Health perspective.

Best regards,
Kathryn Makos, MPH, CIH
Industrial Hygienist
Research Collaborator, National Museum of Natural History
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 16:08:39 +0200
From: Becky Desjardins <becky.desjardins at naturalis.nl>
Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Safety of specimen prep
To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
Message-ID:
	<CAHuKY=EbtKGyECBmXp0uyahyBxrPEePu0LAdepDGVLPBAxJHng at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

Apologies for cross posting.  Does anyone have information about studies
that have been done about the safety of specimen prep (fresh/frozen bird and
mammal, specifically)?  Our health and safety folks have decided that
specimen prep in our lab is too high risk and they want to move us out, or
discontinue preparation entirely.  I look forward to your responses.  Thank
you for your help!


Met vriendelijke groeten,

Becky Desjardins
Taxidermist/Preparator