Biological Spills

Purpose

To outline the procedures for safely responding to and managing biological spills, in order to minimize risk to personnel, the environment, and the community.

Scope

This SOP applies to all personnel working with biological materials within authorized laboratory spaces.
Spill response procedures must be tailored to the specific biological agents and activities being undertaken.

All spills must be reported to your PI as soon as possible

Spill in the Lab:

  1. Alert co-workers immediately.
  2. In case of aerosols, hold your breath and quickly leave the lab. Close the door and post a warning sign. Allow aerosols to settle for at least 30 minutes.
  3. Remove any contaminated clothing.
  4. Thoroughly wash exposed skin with soap and water.
  5. Don appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) prior to initiating clean-up.
  6. Cover the spill area with paper towels or other suitable absorbent material.
  7. Apply an appropriate disinfectant, working from the outer edge toward the centre of the spill. Allow a contact time of 20–30 minutes. If using bleach, prepare a fresh dilution to achieve the required final concentration of sodium hypochlorite (typically ~1% once applied to the spill).
  8. Remove glass with forceps or scoop or other mechanical means. Do not use your hands.
  9. Carefully remove absorbent materials and clean up residual liquid.
  10. Clean the affected area again using soap and water or an appropriate disinfectant (e.g., alcohol) to prevent corrosion.
  11. Decontaminate adjacent surfaces with disinfectant.
  12. Properly dispose of materials in biohazard containers (mark containers “spill cleanup – contains {name of disinfectant}”
  13. Wash your hands thoroughly.
  14. For larger spills or questions, contact OEHS.

Spill in public area:

  1. Secure the area to prevent access – this means having a person guard the area so that no one walks thru the spill.
  2. Follow the procedures for dealing with spills in the lab except the spill must be cleaned up immediately – you cannot wait for aerosols to settle in public areas.
  3. Report the spill – if you need help contact the OEHS.

Spill within a centrifuge:

  1. Leave lid closed and allow aerosols to settle for at least 1 hour (ensure centrifuge is off, affix a warning sign)
  2. Move to functioning BSC if possible and ensure that it is on.
  3. Disinfect the centrifuge, rotors and buckets in an appropriate disinfectant; allow at least 20 to 30 min of contact time. Wipe down all parts including the lid.
  4. Rinse with water if bleach was used to prevent corrosion.

Spill within a BSC:

  1. BSC must be on and functioning to contain aerosols.
  2. If spill is on a work surface, cover spilled material with a disinfectant-soaked diaper or towel and let sit for 20-30 minutes contact, then remove and dispose as biohazardous waste.
  3. Clean the affected area again using soap and water or an appropriate disinfectant (e.g., alcohol) to prevent corrosion.
  4. Wipe down the interior of the cabinet & any splatter on items within the cabinet with a disinfectant-soaked towel
  5. If the cabinet has a catch basin beneath the work surface & the spill resulted in liquids flowing into this area, more extensive decontamination is required.
    1. Ensure the drain valve under the cabinet is closed.
    2. Pour disinfectant onto the work surface & through the front and rear grills into the drain pan. Allow 20-30 minutes contact time.
    3. Absorb spilled fluid-disinfectant from work surface with paper towels & discard in biohazard bag.
    4. Empty drain pan. Open the drain valve & empty the drain pan into the collection vessel containing disinfectant. Flush the drain pan with water to prevent corrosion & remove the flexible tubing. Manage contaminated materials as if they are infectious.
  6. Run BSC at least 10 minutes after cleanup, before resuming activity in the cabinet.

Blood spill:

All blood must be considered biohazardous not just that which is known to be infected with a pathogen.

  1. Wear appropriate PPE.
  2. Remove glass with forceps or scoop or other mechanical means. Do not use your hands. Dispose of all sharps are placed into a U of T approved yellow sharps collection container compliant with CSA Z316.695 standards.
  3. Organic material reduces the effectiveness of some disinfectants, such as sodium hypochlorite, so may need to remove bulk of spill before can effectively decontaminate rest of the spill area chemically. Soak up the blood with absorbent material and dispose of in biohazard waste container.
  4. After removing the bulk of the spill, disinfect the area. Allow the disinfectant enough contact time to neutralize biohazardous material – at least 30 minutes. Make sure to use a disinfectant effective against blood-borne pathogens.
  5. Dispose of all cleanup material in biohazardous waste containers marked “ spill cleanup – contains {name of disinfectant}”
  6. Apply disinfectant to the spill and adjacent areas a final time, allowing to set for 10 minutes or air dry.