1. Never work alone in the laboratory without permission and prior knowledge of the instructor.
2. Do not engage in rowdy, playful, or unprofessional activities in the laboratory. This includes not being disrespectful of your instructor or classmates.
3. Students should wash hands thoroughly after first entering the lab.
4. Never eat, chew gum, or drink anything in the laboratory without explicit permission from the instructor.
5. When doing body fluid labs, work surfaces must be disinfected at the beginning and end of the lab period.  Following dissections, work surfaces must be cleaned with alcohol.
6. Wear appropriate clothing at all times in the laboratory, including gloves and safety glasses as advised by your instructor.
7. During dissections, when handling cadavers, or during body fluid labs, students will be required to wear examination gloves, safety glasses, and closed-toe shoes that cover the top of the foot.
8. Keep hands away from your face, eyes, and mouth when working with cadavers, chemicals, preserved specimens, or body fluids. This includes not applying cosmetics, not adjusting contact lenses, and not biting your finger nails.
9. If any chemicals or other agents splash into your eyes, immediately go to the nearest sink and flush your eyes with water.
10. Report ANY and ALL accidents, spills, BREAKAGES, or injuries to the instructor, no matter how trivial they appear.
11. Scalpels and other sharp objects can be used only if authorized by the instructor and only after given proper handling instructions. Use small trays to carry all sharp objects. When handling sharp objects, point their tips down and away from other people.
12. While wearing examination gloves, students must not leave the laboratory and must not touch any equipment such as microscopes, writing utensils, any personal items such as cell phones, or any door knobs.
13. Do not use any lab equipment without instruction and authorization from the instructor.   Report any damaged or broken equipment to your instructor immediately.
14. Lab benches must be kept free of extraneous items while doing dissections or body fluid labs. This includes personal items such as backpacks, cell phones, and unnecessary books.
15. Any student that is ill, immunocompromised, or has a disease related to the blood, the upper respiratory system, or the bladder, cannot participate in body fluid labs. When working with body fluids, students will be given the choice to use their own body fluids or artificial fluids.
16. Any student that is pregnant or becomes pregnant must notify the instructor of the course. Pregnant students will not be allowed to do dissections or work with any body fluids without having a doctor’s note for permission or signing a waiver of liability.

Universal Precautions for Students Working With Blood

1. Disinfect work area prior to the procedure and line the work area with clean paper towels.
2. Wash hands thoroughly and prepare finger to be punctured with an alcohol swab.
3. Students must wear gloves and may only handle their own body fluids.
4. Students must wear lab aprons, safety glasses, and surgical masks.
5. Wipe down work area and any area that may have been exposed to blood with disinfectant immediately after contamination occurs and at the end of lab.
6. Wash hands thoroughly and immediately after the exercise is completed.

Universal Precautions for Students Working With Urine or Saliva

1. Before lab, wash hands thoroughly and line the work area with clean paper towels.
2. Students must wear gloves and may only handle their own body fluids.
3. Students must wear lab aprons, safety glasses, and surgical masks.
4. Rinse and dispose of all supplies that may have come into contact with urine or saliva in the appropriate biohazard container.
5. Dispose of urine in the bathroom toilet and saliva in the sink.
6. After lab, wipe down work area with disinfectant and wash hands thoroughly.

Disposal Policies

1. Dispose of broken glassware in the marked cardboard box container. Broken glass containers are ONLY to be used for broken glass. Always use a broom and dust-pan if asked to clean up broken glassware.
2. Dispose of used slides in the glass container labeled “Used Slides”.
3. As needed, scalpel blades must be disposed of only by instructors.
4. Uncontaminated gloves can be disposed of in the regular trash. Contaminated gloves must be disposed of in a biohazard waste container. Examination gloves used in dissections are not considered to be biohazard waste and can be disposed of in the regular trash.
5. Biohazardous wastes must be disposed in a biohazard waste container. Preserved materials (e.g. cat tissues) are NOT considered biohazardous waste and can be disposed in the regular trash. Your instructor will inform you which disposal containers are to be used with which type of biohazardous waste (metal sharps, glass, and non-sharps).
6. Dispose of lancets immediately after use in the appropriate sharps biohazard container. Never reuse a lancet.
7. Dispose of all supplies that may have come into contact with blood in the appropriate biohazard container.
8. Rinse and dispose of all supplies that may have come into contact with urine or saliva in the appropriate biohazard container.
9. Dispose of urine in the bathroom toilet and saliva in the sink.

Expectations

1. Each student will leave the laboratory clean and organized for the next lab section. Leave your work area as clean, or cleaner, than you found it and return lab items to the designated locations in the drawers or cabinets. Make sure waste and trash are placed in the appropriate receptacles. Be sure to collect all personal belongings before leaving for the day.
2. Each student is required to affirm at the end of the on-line safety quiz the following statement: “I have reviewed and I understand the laboratory safety rules for this course. I understand that I can be dismissed from that day’s lab activity for not wearing proper shoes and clothing, or for not following proper safety procedures. I understand that repeated safety violations may result in dismissal from the rest of the laboratory exercises without the option to make up any missed laboratory grades”. Out of safety concerns, a student will not be allowed to participate in any laboratories if s/he cannot agree to this statement.