General Cleaning and TB Lab Surface Decontamination

Guidelines for Laboratory Cleaning

• All personnel should don appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) prior to cleaning the facility.
• Laboratory personnel should perform all daily housekeeping routines within the TB laboratories, including trash removal. Cleaning staff should only enter the laboratories under the supervision of the laboratory staff.
• All the cleaning and decontamination procedures in the TB containment laboratory should be performed only by trained laboratory staff.
• Work surfaces are decontaminated when work is finished, at the end of every workday, and immediately after any spill of viable material.
• Large equipment, such as incubators and centrifuges, will have inner and outer surfaces damp-wiped with disinfectant on a routine basis.
• Sinks in the laboratories should be cleaned and flushed with agent appropriate disinfectants
• The floor of the TB containment laboratory should be thoroughly and routinely wiped down with a suitable chemical decontaminant, and workspaces that do not get daily attention should be disinfected
• Solid waste should be decontaminated by autoclaving prior to removal from the facility and disposed off by authorized personnel

Unidirectional Flow of Cleaning

• There should be an effective separation of various sections and activities of the lab to prevent cross-contamination.
• Unidirectional flow of cleaning should be maintained in specific areas.
• Cleaning items, such as mops, buckets and brushes, used in dirty areas of the laboratory should never be used in the cleaner areas.

Good Laboratory Practices to Keep Laboratories Clean and Clutter-free

• Floors and work surfaces should be kept as free of clutter as possible.
• Materials should be stored in closed cupboards, where possible.
• Excess reagents should be boxed, labelled and stored in the storeroom.
• Check spill kit contents on a monthly basis. The fresh disinfectant must be prepared each week.
• Record in the 'Laboratory Cleaning and Maintenance Logbook'.

​Resources 

• WHO TB Lab Safety Manual, 2012, p18-19.
• WHO Lab Biosafety Manual, 3rd ed., p82-90.