TABLE 4.

Example safety risk assessment for collection and transport of a respiratory specimen

Process	Risk(s) identified	Approach(s) to mitigation
Specimen Collection	Infection of collecting staff	Proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and engineering controls; proper patient identification and placement with appropriate precautions; adherence to isolation precautions and routine hand hygiene; use of proper collection procedure(s); access to specimen collection guidelines and educational material
	Contamination of environment	Proper patient identification and placement with appropriate precautions; adherence to isolation precautions and routine hand hygiene; attention to environmental cleaning protocols
	Contamination of specimen container, paperwork, or transport bag	Decontamination of container after collection; placement of secondary container (e.g., bag) outside of isolation area; use of secondary containers (bags or shipping containers depending on nature of transport)
Specimen Transport	Loss of specimen in transit	Appropriate tracking mechanisms
	Spillage from primary container	Attention to tight-fitting lids and tops; appropriate choice of container for specimen types; avoidance of leak-prone designs; utilization of durable leak resistant secondary container
	Disruption of primary container and bag with widespread contamination	Avoidance of pneumatic tubes for high-risk specimens; for shipping via courier or public carrier, secondary shipping containers meeting international guidelines