Inspection Checklist for Laboratories

Title Page

Standard Microbiological Practices

The laboratory supervisor must enforce the institutional policies that control access to the laboratory
Persons must wash their hands after working with potentially hazardous materials and before leaving the laboratory.
Eating, drinking, smoking, handling contact lenses, applying cosmetics, and storing food for human consumption must not be permitted in laboratory areas.
Food must be stored outside the laboratory area in cabinets or refrigerators designated and used for this purpose.
Mouth pipetting is prohibited; mechanical pipetting devices must be used.
Policies for the safe handling of sharps, such as needles, scalpels, pipettes, and broken glassware must be developed and implemented.
Whenever practical, laboratory supervisors should adopt improved engineering and work practice controls that reduce risk of sharps injuries.
Perform all procedures to minimize the creation of splashes and/or aerosols.
Decontaminate work surfaces after completion of work and after any spill or splash of potentially infectious material with appropriate disinfectant.
Decontaminate all cultures, stocks, and other potentially infectious materials before disposal using an effective method.

All persons entering the laboratory must be advised of the potential hazards and meet specific entry/exit requirements.
Laboratory personnel must be provided medical surveillance and offered appropriate immunizations for agents handled or potentially present in the laboratory.
Each institution should consider the need for collection and storage of serum samples from at-risk personnel.
A laboratory-specific biosafety manual must be prepared and adopted as policy.
The biosafety manual must be available and accessible.
The laboratory supervisor must ensure that laboratory personnel demonstrates proficiency in standard and special microbiological practices before working with agents.
Potentially infectious materials must be placed in a durable, leak proof container during collection, handling, processing, storage, or transport within a facility.
Laboratory equipment should be routinely decontaminated, as well as, after spills, splashes, or other potential contamination.
Incidents that may result in exposure to infectious materials must be immediately evaluated and treated according to procedures described in the laboratory biosafety manual.
All such incidents must be reported to the laboratory supervisor.

All procedures involving the manipulation of infectious materials must be conducted within a BSC (preferably Class II or Class III), or other physical containment devices.
Workers in the laboratory wear protective laboratory clothing with a solid-front, such as tie-back or wrap-around gowns, scrub suits, or coveralls.
Protective clothing is not worn outside of the laboratory.
Reusable clothing is decontaminated before being laundered.
Clothing is changed when contaminated.
Eye and face protection (goggles, mask, face shield or other splatter guard) is used for anticipated splashes or sprays of infectious or other hazardous materials.
Eye and face protection must be disposed of with other contaminated laboratory waste or decontaminated before reuse.
Persons who wear contact lenses in laboratories must also wear eye protection.
Gloves must be worn to protect hands from exposure to hazardous materials.
Glove selection should be based on an appropriate risk assessment.

Laboratory doors must be self closing and have locks in accordance with the institutional policies.
The laboratory must be separated from areas that are open to unrestricted traffic flow within the building.
Laboratory access is restricted.
Access to the laboratory is through two self-closing doors.
Additional sinks may be required as determined by the risk assessment.
The laboratory must be designed so that it can be easily cleaned and decontaminated.
Carpets and rugs are not permitted.
Seams, floors, walls, and ceiling surfaces should be sealed.
Spaces around doors and ventilation openings should be capable of being sealed to facilitate space decontamination
Laboratory furniture must be capable of supporting anticipated loads and uses.