High Risk Samples
In accordance with the Health & Safety at Work Act and the
COSHH Regulations, the laboratories must be informed of any
infection risk associated with submitted samples. Examples of such
risk include, but are not limited to, HIV, Hepatitis B and
Hepatitis C.
For all such samples:
- The specimen must be appropriately packaged to ensure safe
transportation.
- The specimen container must be clearly labelled on the outside
with some form of "danger of infection" label.
- The accompanying paperwork must also be appropriately
labelled.
- The referral card must contain sufficient information
concerning the nature of the infection risk to ensure safe handling
of the sample.
- Information provided must be consistent with maintaining
patient confidentiality and must not be accessible to anyone
transporting the sample.