{"id":17904,"date":"2021-08-12T11:25:06","date_gmt":"2021-08-12T15:25:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ehs\/?page_id=17904"},"modified":"2024-08-26T16:18:03","modified_gmt":"2024-08-26T20:18:03","slug":"rotary-microtome-and-cryostat-safety-guidelines","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ehs\/laboratory-safety-home\/laboratory-safety-programs-services\/lsc-toolkit\/lab-resources\/rotary-microtome-and-cryostat-safety-guidelines\/","title":{"rendered":"Rotary Microtome and Cryostat Safety Guidelines"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Microtomes and cryostats are common instruments used in Boston University\u2019s laboratories to section tissues as part of research studies. These instruments pose potential hazards during their use, including when cleaning, handling the blade, and sectioning tissue samples.<\/em><\/p>\n<h5>Training of Personnel<\/h5>\n<p>Personnel must be trained and this training must be documented and provided by a knowledgeable and responsible person within the laboratory before any work is completed. The individual must be assessed for their competency to perform the task safely and properly before being allowed to perform the task independently. Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) should be made available to all users and posted near the point of operation.\u00a0 In addition to laboratory SOPs users must also familiarize themselves with manufacturer&#8217;s manual for their specific piece of equipment.<\/p>\n<h5>Potential Hazards:<\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li>Sharps Injury\n<ul>\n<li>Microtome blade<\/li>\n<li>Microtome blade holder corners<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ehs\/ehs-topics\/ergonomics-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ergonomics<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Frostbite\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/imgcdn.mckesson.com\/CumulusWeb\/Click_and_learn\/SDS_ORASRE_HISTOFREEZER_KIT_36F1C_5MM_APPLICATIONS.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Histofreeze<\/a> (aka cytofreeze) and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.airgas.com\/msds\/001091.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dry ice<\/a> if not handled with appropriate PPE (i.e. cryogenic gloves) can lead to frostbite injury.<\/li>\n<li>This hazard can be eliminated by using a product called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tedpella.com\/MSDS_html\/27050%20msds%20mfg%20OCT%20Compound.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Optimal Cutting Temperature (OCT)<\/a> which is not known to contain any hazardous materials.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5>Potential Biohazards associated with paraffin embedded and fresh\/frozen tissue samples based on the source of the material:<\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li>Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease<\/li>\n<li>Scrapie<\/li>\n<li>Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE)<\/li>\n<li>Bloodborne pathogens<\/li>\n<li>Other potentially transmissible prion diseases<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5>Sharpness of Blade<\/h5>\n<p>A microtome blade is extremely sharp and must be handled carefully.\u00a0 \u00a0The rotary handle of the microtome must always be set in the locked position when not in use, changing a paraffin embed tissue block, or replacing or removing the blade. New blade should be placed in the blade holder and secured properly by the clamp before the rotary wheel lock is released. A blade guard placed at each end of the blade must be used to protect the user. Once the blade is seated and secured the rotary wheel lock can be released and the knife and holder advanced to the specimen block. If adjustments need to be made to the specimen, remove the blade from the housing.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><strong>Removal of the blade:<\/strong>\u00a0 Use cut resistant gloves when handling the blade holder and the blade.\u00a0 Disposable blades must always be removed using forceps or a similar instrument. Do not remove the blade holder from the microtome with a blade present or transport the housing with the blade present. A sharps container must be kept near the instrument to reduce the distance that a blade would be moved. For microtomes with reusable blades, cut resistant gloves must be used when removing and sharpening the blade. EHS recommends using disposable blades whenever possible.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><strong>Microtome Cleaning:<\/strong>\u00a0 Use cut resistant gloves when cleaning the instrument.\u00a0 The cut resistant gloves must be worn over nitrile gloves when a microtome is being cleaned. Before the microtome is cleaned, the rotary wheel must be locked and the blade removed from the blade holder.\u00a0 Use caution other components of the microtome may also have sharp edges (i.e. blade holder).<\/p>\n<div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h5 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">Appropriate PPE<\/h5><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Lab Coat<\/li>\n<li>Nitrile Gloves<\/li>\n<li>Cut Resistant Gloves (kevlar or stainless steel mesh)\n<ul>\n<li><em>must be worn over nitrile gloves.\u00a0<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Eye Protection (safety glasses or goggles)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h5 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">Helpful Hints<\/h5><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><strong>Buddy System:<\/strong>\u00a0 Working alone with a sharp blade is strongly discouraged. Please consider a \u201cbuddy system\u201d as appropriate, especially during off-hours and weekends.<br \/>\n<strong>Schedule breaks:<\/strong>\u00a0 Regularly scheduled breaks and rotation of tasks during the sectioning process will help prevent errors due to fatigue.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>All incidents must be reported.\u00a0 Please refer to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ehs\/emergency-communications\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BU Emergency Instructions<\/a> posted in your space and available for download at this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ehs\/files\/2020\/04\/BU_emergency-instructions_042820.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">link<\/a> for contact information.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Microtomes and cryostats are common instruments used in Boston University\u2019s laboratories to section tissues as part of research studies. These instruments pose potential hazards during their use, including when cleaning, handling the blade, and sectioning tissue samples. Training of Personnel Personnel must be trained and this training must be documented and provided by a knowledgeable [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3090,"featured_media":0,"parent":3912,"menu_order":5,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/no-sidebars.php","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/17904"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3090"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17904"}],"version-history":[{"count":35,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/17904\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19576,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/17904\/revisions\/19576"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3912"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17904"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}