SQA Advanced Higher Biology

## Hazard and risk in the laboratory A **hazard** is anything that could cause harm, and **risk** is the likelihood that harm will actually arise from exposure to that hazard. A bottle of concentrated acid is a hazard whether or not anyone touches it; the risk depends on how much is used, how it is handled and who is nearby. The distinction matters because a risk assessment does not try to remove hazards from a laboratory, which is impossible in biology. It identifies each hazard, judges how likely and how serious the harm would be, and then decides on control measures that reduce the risk. The hazards in a biology laboratory fall into a few groups. | Source of hazard | Examples | |---|---| | Substances | toxic or corrosive chemicals, flammable liquids, stains and solvents | | Heat | Bunsen burners, hot plates, water baths, autoclaves | | Organisms | pathogenic bacteria, fungi, and cultures that may contain contaminants | | Equipment | centrifuges, sharp instruments, glassware, electrical equipment such as electrophoresis tanks | Control measures are matched to the hazard. They include handling techniques that keep a substance away from skin and eyes, protective clothing and equipment such as gloves, lab coats and eye protection, working in a fume cupboard for volatile chemicals, balancing a centrifuge so that it cannot fly apart, and **aseptic technique** for organisms, which keeps cultures from escaping into the room as well as keeping contaminants out of the culture. A…