Health and safety in medical laboratories

There has been a large increase in the number of persons employed in medical laboratories in the last 25 years. These workers are exposed to a variety of infective agents in the course of their work, the most important being Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Salmonella typhi, Brucella spp., and serum hepatitis virus. Chemical and physical hazards include toxic chemicals, lacerations, skin disease, and possibly cancer. Current knowledge of safe working practice in laboratories leaves much to be desired and there is an urgent need for both internationally agreed codes of safe practice and the development of guidelines for the medical surveillance of laboratory workers. The World Health Organization is developing such guidelines in an attempt to protect the health of workers employed in the investigation of ill health in others.