I work in a NHS lab

[nc3457]

Nc for this. I recently went back to work after mat leave. I work in an NHS hospital lab (pathology).
So things are a bit different, they have asked staff to try to keep to the 2 meter rule and put in some procedures so that staff don't move into sections unnecessary. However the space isn't massive so it's difficult, I still need to work with coworkers, we are quite often within 2 meters and it's unavoidable. Lots of hand washing and clean your workstation.

I'm not working on the CV testing section but I am running routine testing on samples from pos CV patients, and obviously anyone can be carrying it so all samples are treated the same.

What I'm pretty shocked about though is we don't have masks or visors. Ive been told I still need to do manual work (requires opening blood sample) but to do it carefully so not to create an aerosol. No hand gel at all provided (I take my own now). We do have gloves. My colleagues laugh when I questioned this, they have got used to it.

My manager says that there's very small viral load in the blood that's why we don't need mask but I suspect there's also no ppe anyway. Is there anyone in a similar position to me? Any lab workers?

Rightly so, there's a lot the young blood can learn from boiling up stools

The smell goes after you boil them in concentrated sulfuric acid.

And you wear PPE then. And a fume cupboard.

I'm really surprised you don't wear safety specs at all, it's not like they are expensive.

chomalungma - that was a technique we were taught in our microbiology lessons in my degree! SO useful to be able to do it! It was for plating samples with a sterilised loop then, but it has many applications and yes, working in the blood labs was one.

Now I use it mostly to open my drink bottle while driving (TUT!) so I always have one hand on the wheel, but that's very occasional - I don't usually have one with a removable cap these days.

My DMum claims they all used to go food shopping during lunch breaks and leave it in the cold room next to all the bloods back in the 80s.

My DMum claims they all used to go food shopping during lunch breaks and leave it in the cold room next to all the bloods back in the 80

Friend of mine used to grow yeast for home brewing in a research lab (Not NHS but MRC)

When taking the blood out of the patients we are advised to wear eye protection in case of splashes so I assumed that it could be transmitted in bodily fluids, interesting to hear that the risk is low. Probably more risk of a splash when bleeding a patient Than in the lab though as they can move which hopefully the test tubes don’t.

I’ve never worked in the lab and other than running down some amylase samples I don’t think I’ve been in one but I think I’d want eye protection all the time (thinking bbva more than covid) beCause I’d splash myself opening tubes but I’m a clumsy oaf!