Practical Microbiology – in-unit assessment
Practical Microbiology – in-unit assessment
Instructions
You are provided with a publication, which describes the development of an assay for detection of Ebolavirus infection.
1. Prepare a written protocol, containing enough information for reproduction of the work. This should be in the form of a list of materials to be used, followed by instructional bullet points, as you see with the instructions we provide for laboratory experiments. It should be unambiguous with clear direction.
2. Identify all hazards within the protocol, both reagents and procedural. Compile a table of these, including hazard classification of organisms and samples, and msds features.
3. Determine the likelihood and outcome of risk, then apply a risk score.
An example is shown below:
Reagent/
biological agent/
procedure
Perceived hazard(s)
Likelihood of harm (probability)
Outcome of harm
Risk score
Source of information (msds/publication/website)
Additional notes
0.4% Trypan blue for cell counting (Thermofisher)
Hazard Statements H350 – May cause cancer H361 – Suspected of damaging fertility or the unborn child Precautionary Statements
Prevention
P201 – Obtain special instructions before use P280 – Wear protective gloves/protective clothing/eye protection/face protection
P202 – Do not handle until all safety precautions have been read and understood Response
P308 + P313 – If exposed or concerned: Get medical advice/attention
Virtually impossible
– low volumes used (0.1ml of 0.4%) in a single occurrence, PPA available and advised throughout.
LD50 = 6200 mg/kg (Rat)
Exposure in assay = 0.04mg
Major
3
https://assets.thermofisher.com/TFS-Assets/LSG/SDS/15250061_MTR-EULT_BE.pdf
Make sure PPA is available and that safety labels are on bottles
4. Complete the risk assessment form with the information gathered in 2 and 3.
5. Insert the protocol from (!) into section 8.8.
You must submit:
a. the full risk assessment form, with your completed protocol inserted at section 8.8.
The deadline for submission is 4pm on Sunday 29th November 2020.
There is no word limit for this, however a working protocol is normally no longer than two sides of A4.
You may cut and paste from msds sites.
Useful links:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/misc208.pdf
http://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/biologagents.pdf
