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Nasrallah I, Sabbah I, Haddad C, Ismaiil L, Kotaich J, Salameh P, Kak AEL, Nasr R, Bawab W. Evaluating the academic scientific laboratories' safety by applying failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) at the public university in Lebanon. Heliyon 2023; 9:e21145. [PMID: 38046144 PMCID: PMC10687702 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e21145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Revised: 10/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Workers at scientific academic laboratories are at risk of potential exposure to different types of hazards. The study's purpose was to assess the potential failure modes (FMs) of hazards facing them through the application of the Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) method to propose corrective actions preventive actions (CAPA) to mitigate them and to improve the safety outcomes in these workplaces (WP) at the Lebanese public University (PbU). The potential FMs leading to accident occurrence in biological and chemical labs were identified and prioritized, their causes and effects were determined by applying two surveys, and the risk priority number (RPN) for each failure was calculated. A total of 24 FMs were identified. The most alarming FM having the highest RPN scores (80) was found in the workplace 'category requiring an emergency for corrective actions (CA), it is related to the unavailability of a hazard pictogram plot and the lack of labeling of chemicals and waste containers according to their categories. The FMs having RPN scores (75-60) requiring an urgent CA were assigned to other hazards of the WP, chemical, biological, and failure of the educational system. The need to program for the remaining FMs (RPN scores 20-48) is related to the safety, biological, physical, and radioactive categories 'hazards. It is recommended to apply continuously FMEA and implement the CA proposed for each detected FM in the scientific laboratories of the PbU in order to support the decision-makers to improve laboratory safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inaam Nasrallah
- Doctoral School of Science and Technology (DSST), Lebanese University, Rafic Hariri University Campus, Hadath, Lebanon
- Laboratoire de Biotechnologie des Substances Naturelles et Produits de Santé (BSNPS), Faculty of Pharmacy, Lebanese University, Rafic Hariri University Campus, Hadath, Lebanon
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Lebanese University, Rafic Hariri University Campus, Hadath, Lebanon
| | - Ibtissam Sabbah
- Faculty of public Health V, Lebanese University, Saida, Lebanon
| | - Chadia Haddad
- INSPECT-LB (Institut National de Santé Publique, d’Épidémiologie Clinique et de Toxicologie-Liban), Beirut, Lebanon
- School of Medicine, Lebanese American University, Byblos, Lebanon
- Research Department, Psychiatric Hospital of the Cross, Jal Eddib, Lebanon
- School of Health Sciences, Modern University of Business and Science, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Lina Ismaiil
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Lebanese University, Rafic Hariri University Campus, Hadath, Lebanon
| | - Jana Kotaich
- Faculty of Medical Sciences, Lebanese University, Rafic Hariri University Campus, Hadath, Lebanon
| | - Pascale Salameh
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Lebanese University, Rafic Hariri University Campus, Hadath, Lebanon
- INSPECT-LB (Institut National de Santé Publique, d’Épidémiologie Clinique et de Toxicologie-Liban), Beirut, Lebanon
- University of Nicosia Medical School, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Assem EL. Kak
- Laboratoire de Biotechnologie des Substances Naturelles et Produits de Santé (BSNPS), Faculty of Pharmacy, Lebanese University, Rafic Hariri University Campus, Hadath, Lebanon
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Lebanese University, Rafic Hariri University Campus, Hadath, Lebanon
| | - Rihab Nasr
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut 1107 2020, Lebanon
| | - Wafa Bawab
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Lebanese University, Rafic Hariri University Campus, Hadath, Lebanon
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