Table 3.

Staff–staff risk of infection

Process phase	Risk modes	Failure modes	O	S	D	RPN	Corrective measures	O	S	D	RPN
Access to the clinic	Contact with external suppliers	Face-to-face contact at distances of less than 1 m for more than 15 min No use of proper PPE Exchange of potentially contaminated items Sharing potentially contaminated spaces	4	4	5	80	Prohibition of access to external suppliers Delivery of material at reception Maintaining interpersonal distance of more than 1 m Sanitization of delivered products followed by a change of gloves	1	4	1	4
	Contact with administrative and/or healthcare personnel	Face-to-face contact at distances of less than 1 m for more than 15 min No use of proper PPE Exchange of potentially contaminated items Sharing potentially contaminated spaces	4	4	5	80	Restricted access to staff on duty Supply of PPE and further hand sanitizing with appropriate disinfectants Triage with well-trained medical staff	2	4	1	8
Changing room	Contact with other embryologists and/or healthcare personnel	Face-to-face contact at distances of less than 1 m for more than 15 min No use of proper PPE Exchange of potentially contaminated items Sharing potentially contaminated spaces	3	4	5	60	Access limited to maximum of two people at the same time Presence of disinfectants to sanitize surfaces after use Ensure proper air change (15 min)	2	4	1	8
Laboratory	Contact between embryologists present in the laboratory at the same time and/or engaged in the same procedure	Face-to-face contact at distances of less than 1 m for more than 15 min No use of proper PPE Exchange of potentially contaminated items Sharing potentially contaminated spaces	4	4	5	80	Organization of work schedule Proper training of staff the risks and protocols to be adopted to prevent infection Supply of PPE at laboratory entrance to be worn in place of the PPE provided at clinic entrance (with addition of glasses or protective visor and long-sleeved scrubs) Distance of at least 1 m between operators Cleaning of work stations after use between operators Facilitation of back-office work	2	4	1	8
	Contact with healthcare staff	Face-to-face contact at distances of less than 1 m for more than 15 min No use of proper PPE Exchange of potentially contaminated items Sharing potentially contaminated spaces	4	4	5	80	Healthcare staff not allowed laboratory access Telephone communication	2	4	1	8
Access to cryo-storage room	Contact between embryologists engaged in the same procedure	Face-to-face contact at distances of less than 1 m for more than 15 min No use of proper PPE Exchange of potentially contaminated items Sharing potentially contaminated spaces	4	4	5	80	Access limited to one embryologist at a time, with second supporting embryologist outside the room for emergencies	2	4	1	8
Coffee break	Contact with other medical staff or patients	Face-to-face contact at distances of less than 1 m for more than 15 min No use of proper PPE Exchange of potentially contaminated items Sharing potentially contaminated spaces	3	4	5	60	Minimizing frequency of coffee breaks Access to snack area limited to one person at a time	2	4	1	8
Lunch break	Contact with other medical staff or patients	Face-to-face contact at distances of less than 1 m for more than 15 min No use of proper PPE Exchange of potentially contaminated items Sharing potentially contaminated spaces	3	4	5	60	Reduced working hours to allow staff to have lunch safely outside the clinic	1	4	1	4
Staff meeting, journal club	IVF team contact	Face-to-face contact at distances of less than 1 m for more than 15 min No use of proper PPE Exchange of potentially contaminated items Sharing potentially contaminated spaces	4	4	5	80	Web communication	1	4	1	4

O, occurrence; D, detection; PPE, personal protective equipment; RPN, risk priority number; S, severity