Question 1

A technologist is pooling four thawed units of cryoprecipitate at an open bench, drawing product from one bag into another with a syringe. Splashing toward the face is a foreseeable part of this task. Beyond a fastened laboratory coat and gloves, which barrier is the appropriate control?

Accepted Answer

A face shield over the eyes — The hazard being controlled is blood reaching mucous membranes of the eyes, nose and mouth, and a face shield is the barrier designed for that exposure route. Any manipulation that can generate a spray or droplets — spiking, pooling, syringe transfer, opening a segment — triggers face protection in addition to gloves and a coat.

Question 2

After transferring a leaking unit of red cells into a secondary container, a technologist is wearing gloves with visible blood on the fingertips, a disposable gown, a surgical mask and goggles. She is ready to leave the work area. Which item should come off first?

Accepted Answer

Remove the gloves first of all — Gloves are the most heavily contaminated item, so they are removed first and turned inside out during removal. Everything after that is handled with cleaner hands, working from the most soiled item toward the face, and hand hygiene follows the final piece.

Question 3

A crossmatch sample arrives from a ward where the patient is being treated for Clostridioides difficile diarrhoea. The technologist handles the tube with gloves, then removes them. Her hands are not visibly soiled. Which hand hygiene action is required before she carries on?

Accepted Answer

Wash with soap and water — Alcohol does not kill bacterial spores, so an alcohol rub is not sufficient after contact with material from a patient with C. difficile infection. Washing with soap and running water works by physically lifting and rinsing spores off the skin, which is why it is specified whenever spore-formers are in play regardless of whether the hands look dirty.

Question 4

A technologist working at the antibody investigation bench is asked to come to the front reception desk to sign for a courier delivery. She is currently gloved and wearing the laboratory coat she has been working in. What should she do before walking out to reception?

Accepted Answer

Remove gloves and coat, wash hands — Reception is a public area, and both gloves and the laboratory coat are considered contaminated once they have been worn at the bench. Taking off gloves and coat and cleaning hands before leaving the technical area prevents contamination being carried into space used by patients, couriers and visitors.

Question 5

A plasma sample must be couriered from a community hospital to a provincial reference laboratory for antibody identification. Nothing about the patient's history calls for special infectious handling. Under Canadian transport of dangerous goods requirements, how should this shipment be classified and packed?

Accepted Answer

UN3373, Category B, using P650 — A diagnostic patient specimen with no indication of a life-threatening agent is classified as Biological Substance, Category B, assigned UN3373 and packed to packing instruction P650. That means triple packaging with the UN3373 diamond mark, the proper shipping name, and the names and telephone numbers of a responsible person for both shipper and receiver. The exempt human specimen class is a different route again, and it is not unmarked: a package sent that way must carry the words “Exempt Human Specimen” on the outer surface.

Question 6

A technologist assembles the package shown in the table for a UN3373 shipment going out by ground courier the same afternoon. Reviewing it against packing instruction P650, one required element is missing. What must be added?

Accepted Answer

Absorbent packing in the bag — P650 requires absorbent material placed between the primary receptacle and the secondary packaging, and there must be enough of it to soak up the whole liquid volume if the tube leaks or breaks in transit. With three tubes of 5 mL each, the absorbent has to handle 15 mL, so a gauze pad or absorbent sheet goes inside the sealed bag before it is closed.

Question 7

Midway through a weekend shift a technologist finds that the sharps container next to the crossmatch bench is packed past its fill line, with needle hubs standing proud of the opening. Nobody has been injured by it. Which response is appropriate?

Accepted Answer

Replace it now and file a report — An overfilled sharps container is an immediate injury hazard, so it is sealed and swapped for a fresh one at once rather than left for the next shift. Because it is a recognised hazard even without an injury, it also goes into the occurrence or near-miss reporting system so that the filling and replacement routine can be corrected.

Question 8

A technologist has twice mentioned to a colleague that the door gasket on the component refrigerator is torn and that the temperature alarm sounded overnight on both occasions. The gasket is still torn, and units are still being stored in that refrigerator. What is the appropriate next step?

Accepted Answer

Report it formally to the manager — An informal word to a colleague creates no record and no accountability, and the fault is now affecting stored components. Raising it formally through the occurrence reporting system and directly with the person responsible for the area puts the concern on the record, triggers repair, and forces a decision about the units held at a temperature that cannot be guaranteed.

Safety

Selecting and wearing the right protective barriers

Hand hygiene and clean-bench habits

Packing and shipping samples and components safely

Spotting hazards and escalating them