Laboratory Safety & Compliance Flashcards
7 cards from real CLT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Laboratory Safety & Compliance flashcards as text
Which of the following best describes the hierarchy of hazard controls from most to least effective?
Answer: Elimination → Substitution → Engineering → Administrative → PPE
NIOSH's hierarchy of controls ranks from most to least effective: Elimination, Substitution, Engineering controls, Administrative controls, and PPE (last resort).
A laboratory is disposing of used culture media that may contain infectious organisms. According to EPA regulations, this waste must be classified as:
Answer: Regulated medical waste requiring treatment before disposal
Used culture media potentially containing infectious agents is classified as regulated medical waste and must be treated (e.g., autoclaved) before disposal per EPA and state regulations.
Which of the following is the primary purpose of performing a biological safety cabinet certification annually?
Answer: To verify HEPA filter integrity and proper airflow patterns that ensure containment
Annual BSC certification verifies HEPA filter integrity and confirms proper airflow patterns to ensure the cabinet provides adequate containment and personnel protection.
Under CLIA, which of the following proficiency testing (PT) practices is prohibited?
Answer: Referring PT samples to another laboratory for analysis
CLIA strictly prohibits referring proficiency testing samples to another laboratory for analysis, as this circumvents the purpose of PT to evaluate a laboratory's own testing capability.
When a laboratory technologist observes that a colleague is not following standard precautions, the most appropriate immediate action is to:
Answer: Inform the colleague immediately and remind them of proper procedure
The most appropriate immediate action is to directly and respectfully inform the colleague so the unsafe practice stops immediately, reducing exposure risk before it leads to injury.
Which term describes the process of documenting all individuals who have handled a specimen from collection through final disposition?
Answer: Chain of custody
Chain of custody is the documented process of tracking who collected, transported, received, and processed a specimen, critical for legal and forensic laboratory specimens.
Which of the following scenarios would constitute a CLIA-reportable quality event requiring immediate corrective action and documentation?
Answer: A QC result falls outside the laboratory's established control limits
A quality control result outside established control limits indicates a potential testing problem and requires immediate corrective action, repeat testing, and documentation per CLIA requirements.