Standard Operating Procedure

Management of Laboratory Waste

Laboratory of Microbiology

Faculty of Medicine

Universitas Brawijaya

Malang

2017

Hal. i

IDENTIFICATION SHEET

UNIVERSITAS BRAWIJAYA

UN.10/F08.48/HK.01.02.a/001

Date of Verification:

20 November 2017

Management of

Laboratory Waste

3rd revision

Management of Laboratory Waste

Process

Person in Charge

Date

Name Position Signature

1. Formulation dr. Siwipeni

Irmawanti

Rahayu,

M.Biomed

Manager

Representative

2. Verification Dr. dr. Dwi

Yuni Nur

Hidayati,

M.Kes

Head of

Laboratory of

Microbiology

3. Approval Dr. dr. Wisnu

Barlianto,

M.Si.Med.,

Sp.A(K)

Vice Dean I for

Academic Affair

4. Validation Dr. dr. Sri

Andarini,

M.Kes

Dean

5. Monitoring dr. Siwipeni

Irmawanti

Rahayu,

M.Biomed

Head of Quality

Assurance Unit

Hal. ii

CONTENTS

IDENTIFICATION SHEET ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- i

CONTENTS --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ii

A. Objective ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1

B. Scopes and Related Unit(s)----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1

C. Related Quality Standard(s) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1

D. Definition --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1

E. Procedures -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3

F. Bagan Alir ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Error! Bookmark not defined.

G. Referensi --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13

H. Lampiran -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Error! Bookmark not defined.

Hal. 1

A. Objective

This manual is made to regulate lab waste management in FKUB in order to

ensure safe and verified storage, transportation and disposal of lab waste.

B. Scopes and Related Unit(s)

This manual is applied to lab waste originated from all lab work (in

scope of education, research and community service).

This manual covers procedure from collection until disposal of lab

waste.

C. Related Quality Standard(s)

This SOP has not had any relation with related quality standard from inside

of the institution. However, this SOP is related to the national regulations as

follow: Government Regulation of Republic of Indonesia No. 101 Year 2014

about management of hazardous and toxic waste substances (Peraturan

Pemerintah Republik Indonesia No. 101 tahun 2014 tentang pengelolaan

limbah bahan berbahaya dan beracun).

D. Definition

Researcher is a person who is doing work in the laboratory, either as

single worker or being accompanied by analyst. Researcher can be

student (either undergraduate or graduate) or non-student (lecturer,

full-time researcher, etc)

Analyst is a person who is in charge in the workflow inside the

laboratory.

Lab waste is organic or inorganic residue, leftover, and / or excessive

substance fulfilling the following criteria:

o It is originated directly or indirectly from laboratory procedure,

as solid or liquid waste;

o It is either hazardous or non-hazardous;

o It is not re-usable;

o It has no economic value.

Hazardous and poisonous lab waste (Limbah Bahan Berbahaya dan

Beracun / Limbah B3) is substance, energy and or other component

which potentially pollute and endanger its surrounding environment,

including the health of living beings. Hazardous lab waste includes,

but not limited to, the following:

o infectious agents,

Hal. 2

o fixed or unfixed human or animal tissue,

o potentially infectious body fluids,

o live or attenuated vaccine,

o recombinant and or synthetic DNA/RNA,

o immortal cell lines,

o corrosive agent,

o teratogen / mutagenic substance,

o cytotoxic agent,

o radioactive agent,

o heavy metal,

o staining substance,

o sharp or pointy object

o object glass and other glassware,

o inoculated media,

o non-re-usable container,

o contaminated solid waste,

o and other contaminated waste.

Detailed definition and grouping of hazardous lab waste is explained in

Government Regulation of Republic of Indonesia No. 101 Year 2014

about management of hazardous and toxic waste substances

(Peraturan Pemerintah Republik Indonesia No. 101 tahun 2014

tentang pengelolaan limbah bahan berbahaya dan beracun)

Non-hazardous lab waste can be defined by its potency to

unnecessarily take up usable space in laboratory without endangering

its surrounding environment.

Lab waste management includes storage, transportation and disposal

of lab waste.

o Lab waste storage consists of:

handling the lab waste in laboratory from worksite to lab

waste storage,

storing the lab waste in laboratory until predetermined

time of mobilization and disposal,

managing the storage at safe place with appropriate

labelling.

During this period, lab waste may be subjected to initial

treatment such as decontamination, disinfection or

antisepsis.

o Lab waste transportation consists of shipping the stored lab

waste from laboratory to final waste-treatment unit for further

treatment (i.e. incinerating) or recycling;

o Lab waste disposal consists of placing treated lab waste with

measured concentration and amount into appointed area;

followed by regular surveillance to measure its effect to the

surrounding environment.

Hal. 3

Lab waste management in FKUB consists of lab waste collection and

lab waste transportation.

Initial treatment is any given treatment for lab waste before shipping.

It generally consists of steam sterilization (autoclave) or chemical

treatment, or both.

Universal laboratory precaution is a set of protective equipment that

must be worn by all lab practitioner during any work in laboratory.

Lab practitioner is all individual who are directly involved with any

activities within laboratory. This definition includes researcher,

analyst, lecturer, student, technician and lab waste transporter.

Lab manager is the person in charge (PIC) of lab waste management in

a laboratory, including proper labelling and appropriate placing of the

storage.

Unit … (faculty) is a unit responsible for lab waste management in

faculty, including agreement conduction and implementation with

offsite treatment unit, lab waste collection for shipping and lab waste

transportation.

E. Procedures

A. General Rules

1. Lab practitioner must equip universal laboratory precaution

before and during handling lab waste. This include appropriate

lab coat, gloves, mask, closed footwear and if necessary, goggle.

2. Lab practitioner must ensure space availability within waste

storage before adding new lab waste into it. In case there is no

available space, the lab practitioner must inform the lab

manager.

3. Lab practitioner must ensure that the lab waste is placed

properly into the appropriate storage. Lab waste such as glass

and needle must be placed into glass disposal box and

needle/sharps disposal box, respectively, and should not be

mixed with other types of lab waste.

4. Lab practitioner must ensure that the lab waste storage is

closed properly after addition of new waste.

5. Lab waste from all laboratory is collected by General Affair and

Equipment Unit of FKUB and transported to final waste-

treatment unit regularly. Lab manager is responsible to record

the time of lab waste transportation and amount of transported

lab waste.

6. Lab waste should not be stored for longer than 90 days. It is

required to label the container with biohazard symbol, as well as

storage start date and type of chemical / biological substance.

Hal. 4

7. Any process of initial treatment (i.e. autoclave or chemical

treatment) must be recorded

Hal. 5

B. Lab Waste Management

B.1. Lab Waste Type and Treatment

B.1.1. Biological lab waste

Biological lab waste consists of, but not limited to, the

following:

o infectious agents,

o live or attenuated vaccine,

o fixed or unfixed human or animal tissue,

o potentially infectious body fluids, including stool,

o recombinant and or synthetic DNA/RNA,

o immortal cell lines,

General management of biological lab waste is as follow:

1. The residual substance is placed into heat-resistant

container vessel, i.e. plastic wrap. The vessel must be

properly labelled to track back the residual substance after

autoclaving. Maximum amount of residue for each vessel is

¾ part of total vessel’s capacity. The vessel must be loosely

closed to ensure steam access.

2. The residue is then autoclaved at 121 – 132oC with 15 psi

pressurized steam for 15 minutes.

3. The autoclaved residue is then stored into appointed

storage until shipping for incineration.

Note:

Culture of acid-fast bacteria and heat-resistant organism

must be soaked in lysol for at least 18 hours before

autoclaved.

A small amount of biological lab waste can be treated

chemically before storing.

Lab waste with volatile, corrosive and or radioactive

substance should not be autoclaved.

B.1.2. Chemical lab waste

Chemical lab waste consists of, but not limited to, the

following:

o corrosive agent,

o teratogen / mutagenic substance,

o cytotoxic agent,

o radioactive agent,

o heavy metal,

o staining substance, i.e. crystal violet

General management for chemical substance and chemical lab

waste within laboratory is as follow:

Hal. 6

o Minimize the quantity of chemical substance used in lab to

the very least possible. This is important to reduce chemical

lab waste generated after lab procedure.

o Use only container with non-reactive material to store

chemical lab waste.

o Choose the appropriate spot in lab to put the waste storage

safely. It should not be a spot where there would be many

passerby. The storage should be secured or immobilized

before shipping and has proper closing.

o Do not mix acid lab waste with basic lab waste.

o The amount of stored chemical lab waste should not exceed

¾ of container’s total capacity to ensure proper closing, also

easier and safer handling.

o Specific conditions that are usually found in lab:

Ethidium bromide

Highly concentrated ethidium bromide is very mutagenic.

Ethidium bromide gels should be collected in double-

wrapped plastic bag. Excessive buffer should be removed

using paper towel prior to gel wrapping. The remaining

buffer should not be mixed with other substance during

storage.

Mercury

i.e. broken thermometer; the substance must be collected

and put into impermeable and tightly sealed container. Do

not mix it with any other waste.

Silica gel

The silica gel must be collected in double-wrapped plastic

bag. It should not be mixed with any liquid waste, paper

or any ware with silica material.

Radioactive agent or highly reactive agent

Any presence of lab waste containing radioactive or highly

reactive agent must be separately stored and reported

without delay to General Affair and Equipment Unit of

FKUB for proper storage and or shipping.

Corrosive agent

This type of lab waste should not be autoclaved to

minimize risk of device corrosion.

B.1.3. Sharps

This type of lab waste consists of needle, lancet, scalpel blades,

and other pointy object that is used in laboratory. This

includes object glass, cover glass and other waste that may

cause puncture, cut and scraping.

Hal. 7

General management for sharps is as follow:

o Sharps must be placed into a rigid, non-penetrable,

closeable and leak-proof container (needle / sharp disposal

box)

o The container should be properly labeled as sharp disposal

box with biohazard symbol. Maximum storage time of

sharps is 90 days. It is required to label the container with

storage start date.

o The container must be placed in stable spot and should not

be opened unless when putting the sharps in. After putting

the sharps, always make sure that the container is properly

closed.

o The amount of stored sharps within container should not

exceed 2/3 of container’s total capacity to ensure proper

closing and safer handling.

o Any clipping, breaking and recapping of pointy parts of

sharps is not recommended since it may cause injury and

exposure to hazardous substance.

o Sharps should not be mixed with other solid lab waste, and

should not be put into any container other than sharp

disposal box.

Note:

Needle must be separated with other sharps waste. The

container must be properly labeled as needle disposal box.

B.1.4. Solid lab waste

Solid lab waste includes all waste that has neither biological

nor chemical properties but used within laboratory work, i.e.

gloves, sample container, inoculating loop, syringe, filter,

disposable pipette, etc. Autoclave is recommended for initial

treatment for this type of lab waste.

Depending on type of lab waste, additional container vessel

(i.e. plastic wrap) may be needed before autoclaving.

B.1.5. Mixed lab waste

Mixed lab waste includes all waste that contains more than

one probable hazardous properties, i.e. biological, chemical,

carcinogenic, radioactive, etc. All properties of mixed lab waste

should be identified before doing autoclave or chemical

treatment.

Note:

Any mixed lab waste containing volatile substance or

highly reactive substance should not be autoclaved or

chemically treated, respectively. Volatile substance must

Hal. 8

be chemically treated and separately stored from other

lab waste.

Any mixed lab waste containing corrosive agent should

not be autoclaved.

B.2. Lab Waste Shipping

The shipping will be accommodated by General Affair and

Equipment Unit of FKUB within cycle of 80 – 90 days.

Any container that has been filled until the recommended volume

must be properly and securely sealed using non-permeable, non-

penetrable, highly adhesive seal (i.e. scotch tape) and put into rigid

and leak-proof secondary container prior to transportation.

Any shipping must be recorded by PIC of laboratory and General

Affair and Equipment Unit of FKUB before transported to offsite

unit for treatment and disposal. The unit will transport lab waste to

the appointed offsite unit as stated in Agreement Contract Letter

(Surat Perjanjian Kerjasama / SPK) of Transportation and

Processing / Utilization / Disposal of Hazardous and poisonous lab

waste (Limbah Bahan Berbahaya dan Beracun / Limbah B3) made

by Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Brawijaya.

C. Labelling

Proper labelling is mandatory for all lab waste container. Universal

Biological Hazard Symbol (UBHS) as the following symbol must be

properly attached to all container:

The symbol is usually black or orange-red in color with contrast

background to permit easy identification. It must be clear enough to

see from across the room and placed in proper angle to be seen from

all direction.

Lab waste card should also be attached to identify type of lab waste,

date of first lab waste entry and any hazardous substance within the

lab waste.

Note:

UBHS should only be used in purpose to indicate any hazard and

should not be placed improperly for any other purpose.

Hal. 9

D. Lab Waste Container

To ensure safety, the container in general must be:

Closable,

Non-penetrable,

Non-impermeable,

Leak-proof,

Non-reactive,

Easy to handle,

Properly labelled with biohazard symbol,

Equipped with proper information of type of contained lab waste,

Placed at stable area with least passerby.

Note:

o Sharp / needle container must be lockable and not easily

unlockable once locked,

o Plastic bags for lab waste wrapping must be tightly sealable

tear-resistant, leak-proof and thick enough to minimize

accidental burst when collided or dropped.

Hal. 10

F. Flowchart

1. Biological Lab Waste

PIC Process Input / Output

Researcher

/ Analyst

Analyst

Analyst

Analyst,

Appointed Collector

Done

This process is recorded

Mass collection held by the faculty then the residue is transported to

incinerator

Stored residue

Sterilized residue is stored into appointed storage

(at most 1 month).

Sterilized residue;

this process is

recorded

The residue is then autoclaved at 121 – 132oC with 15 psi

(30 minutes).

Wrapped waste

product

The waste product is placed into heat-resistant container vessel, i.e.

plastic wrap.

(10 – 30 minutes).

Start

Hal. 11

2. Chemical Lab Waste

PIC Process Input / Output

Researcher

/ Analyst

Analyst

Analyst, Appointed

Collector

Done

This process is

recorded

Mass collection held by the faculty

then the residue is transported to

incinerator

Stored waste

product

Waste product is stored into appointed storage

(at most 1 month).

Stored waste product

The waste product is placed into non-reactive material. Do not mix

acidic and basic material.

(See procedure for detailed process)

Start

Hal. 12

3. Sharps

PIC Process Input / Output

Researcher

/ Analyst

Analyst

Analyst, Appointed

Collector

Done

This process is

recorded

Mass collection held by the faculty

then the residue is transported to

incinerator

Isolated waste

product

The contained is clearly labeled as ‘sharp disposal box’

(can be filled until at most 2/3 of

box’s height)

Isolated waste product

The waste product is placed into rigid, non-penetrable, closeable and leak-proof container or using

needle / sharp disposal box.

Start

Hal. 13

G. Reference(s)

(Sort by first alphabet)

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Guidelines for Safe Work

Practices in Human and Medical Diagnostic Laboratories. Morbidity

and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). 2012. Vol 61.

Environmental Health and Radiation Safety. Laboratory Chemical Lab

Waste Management Guidelines. University of Philadelphia. 2011.

Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) and Office of Radiation,

Chemical and Biological Safety (ORCBS). Waste Disposal Guide. How

to Properly Dispose of Waste Materials Generated at Michigan State

University. East Lansing. Michigan State University. 2009.

Government Regulation of Republic of Indonesia No. 101 Year 2014

about management of hazardous and toxic waste substances

(Peraturan Pemerintah Republik Indonesia No. 101 tahun 2014

tentang pengelolaan limbah bahan berbahaya dan beracun)

Infectious Waste Committee and Institutional Biosafety Committee.

Biohazardous Waste Management Plan. University of Washington.

2016.

Laboratorium Sentral Biomedik Fakultas Kedokteran Unievrsitas

Brawijaya. Manual Prosedur Pengumpulan dan Pembuangan Limbah.

2015.

Laboratory of Pharmacology Faculty of Medicine Universitas

Brawijaya. Procedure Manual of Waste Management. 2014.

Laboratory of Microbiology Faculty of Medicine Universitas Brawijaya.

Manual of Lab Waste Management. 2015.

Laboratory of Parasitology Faculty of Medicine Universitas Brawijaya.

Procedure Manual Laboratory’s Waste Management. 2015.