1. Cassandra McAvoy Bryant & Stratton College
Osha and msds
Cassandra McAvoy
Bryant & Stratton College

2. Personal Safety Precautions
The Occupational Safety & Health Administration recommends the use of personal protective equipment, and requires that employers provide and pay for PPE and ensure that it is used in a medical laboratory.
Employers must assess tasks to identify potential worksite hazards, and must provide and ensure that employees use appropriate personal protective equipment(PPE).
PPE that must be used in a medical laboratory
- Gloves
- Lab coats
- Mask
- Goggles
- Face Shield
(U.S. Department of Labor, 2015).

3. Environmental Safety Precautions
Some ways to maintain a safe work environment in the medical laboratory
- Regularly and thoroughly maintain equipment
- Ensure that hazard correction procedures are in place
- Ensure that everyone knows how to use and maintain personal protective equipment
- Make sure that everyone understands and follows safe work procedures
- Ensure that, when needed, there is a medical program tailored to your facility to help prevent workplace hazards and exposures
(U.S. Department of Labor, 2015).

4. Purpose of MSDS
The purpose of a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) is to inform purchasers and users of the hazardous chemicals and their physical and chemical hazards that may arise from the use of those chemicals.
MSDS’s contain every piece of information about a certain chemical or product, and what to do if you become exposed.
(Lindh, Pooler, Tamparo, Dahl, Morris, 2014).

5. Importance of MSDS
A MSDS is a document that contains information on the potential hazards (health, fire, reactivity and environmental) and how to work safely with that chemical product.
It is intended to inform you of what the hazards of the product are.
Also MSDS inform you how to use the product safely, what to expect if the recommendations are not followed, what to do if accidents occur, how to recognize symptoms of overexposure, and what to do if such incidents occur.
(Lindh, Pooler, Tamparo, Dahl, Morris, 2014).

6. MSDS Cont. Title- Acetone First Aid Measures
Eye Contact: Check for and remove any contact lenses. Immediately flush eyes with running water for at least 15 minutes, keeping eye lids open. Cold water may be used. Get medical attention.
Skin Contact: In case of contact, immediately flush skin with plenty of water. Cover the irritated skin with an emollient. Remove contaminated clothing and shoes. Cold water may be used. Wash clothing before reuse. Thoroughly clean shoes before reuse. Get medical attention.
Serious Skin Contact: Wash with a disinfectant soap and cover the contaminated skin with an anti-bacterial cream. Seek medical attention.
Inhalation: If inhaled, remove to fresh air. If not breathing, give artificial respiration. If breathing is difficult, give oxygen. Get medical attention if symptoms appear.
(Chemicals and Lab Equipment, 2013).

7. MSDS Cont.
Serious Inhalation: Evacuate the victim to a safe area as soon as possible. Loosen tight clothing such as a collar, tie, belt or waistband. If breathing is difficult, administer oxygen. If the victim is not breathing, perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Seek medical attention.
Ingestion: Do NOT induce vomiting unless directed to do so by medical personnel. Never give anything by mouth to an unconscious person. Loosen tight clothing such as a collar, tie, belt or waistband. Get medical attention if symptoms appear.
Serious Ingestion: Not available.
(Chemicals and Lab Equipment, 2013).

8. MSDS Cont. Fire Potential- NFPA Rating Flash Point: -4°F
Flash Point Method- Closed Cup
Auto ignition Temperature- 869°F
Upper/Lower Flame Limit(Volume % in Air)- 13/2.5
Flame Propagation Rate(Solids)- Not applicable
OSHA Flammability Class- Class 1B flammable liquid
NFPA Ratings: Health: 1 Fire: 3 Reactivity: 0
(Chemicals and Lab Equipment, 2013).

9. Fire Safety Issues Fire issues in a healthcare setting
- Cracked/split electrical cords
- Broken plugs
- Overloaded electrical plugs
- If laundry on premises- Lint filters clogged
All employees should be properly be trained in the use of fire extinguishers and evacuation plans.
In the event of a fire follow RACE: Remove
Alarm
Contain
Extinguish
(Lindh, Pooler, Tamparo, Dahl, Morris, 2014).

10. Impact on MA Practice
As a medical assistant, having knowledge on fire safety issues will better my reaction in the event of a fire.
-Know the evacuation plan
- Know how to remove patients from the building
- Call emergency response teams
- Crawl low under any smoke
- Check closed doors with back of the hand before evacuating
q (Pearson Education, 2010).

11. Questions What is a Material Safety Data Sheet?
Why is an MSDS important?
Common causes of fires in healthcare setting?

12. Answers
Contains information on the potential health effects of exposure to chemicals
It allows you to know the components used in making a certain product, it will show the type of chemicals used and it also provides details of the products' physical properties.
Smoking materials

13. References
Chemicals and Lab Equipment. (2013). Material Safety Data Sheet Acetone MSDS. Retrieved from:
Lindh, W.Q. Pooler, M.S. Tamparo, C.D. Dahl, B.M. Morris, J.A.(2014). Delmar’s Comprehensive Medical Assisting Administration and Clinical Competencies(5th). Clifton Park, NY: Cengage Learning.
Pearson Education. (2010). Emergency preparedness. Retrieved from: 7.cw/content/index.html
U.S. Department of Labor. (2015). Laboratory Safety Guidelines. Retrieved from: OSHA3404laboratory-safety-guidance.pdf