On arrival in the laboratory, shipping cartons or packages must be promptly unpacked in the designated area. Use of a Class II Biosafety Cabinet (BSC) is recommended to limit exposure of laboratory staff to potential pathogens. Personnel who receive and unpack specimens should be aware of the potential health hazards involved and should be trained to adopt standard precautions, particularly when dealing with broken or leaking containers. Primary specimen containers should be opened in a biological safety cabinet where possible. Disinfectants such as 70% ethanol are used to wipe down surfaces and a 1:10 solution of sodium hypochlorite (bleach) solution should be available in case of spills. All potentially contaminated materials should be placed inside discard containers that are lined with leak-proof bags.
All laboratory personnel should wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) including latex or nitrile gloves when packages are opened and the contents are removed for inspection and specimen accessioning. Blood products including serum specimens should always be considered as potentially infectious materials. Unpacking and recording of specimens should preferably be carried out by two persons: one records data while the other is gloved and is responsible for opening the package and checking for broken or damaged sample containers and evidence of leakage. Information that should be recorded when accessioning samples is provided in Chapter 11. Data management and reporting of laboratory results.
Any potentially contaminated paperwork should be placed temporarily in the BSC while the information is manually recorded on a fresh sheet of paper. Contaminated documents should be handled in the same manner as infectious waste. Use of a BSC is recommended for transfer of specimens to another container, such as when preparing aliquots of clinical specimens. It is recommended that each laboratory develop specific standard operating procedures for opening packages and logging in specimens.