Laboratory workers who directly handle the hazardous biological agents from clinical specimens and cultures are at risk of exposure to a variety of infectious agents. Hence, they are more prone to laboratory acquired infections. Despite the detailed biosafety procedures available, most of the workers do not consistently follow standard precautions while handling the biological fluids in the laboratory. Inadequate compliance is associated with increased exposure and thus predisposing the laboratory workers to transmission of blood borne pathogens. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B and hepatitis C are the major infectious viral agents. While Neisseria meningitides, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Shigella sp., Brucella sp., Salmonella sp., Escherichia coli, Clostridium difficile and Klebsiella sp. are the major bacteria that cause infection in diagnostic laboratory workers of biosafety level 2. Most of them are preventable by adhering to the practices of standard precautions. Lack of awareness and decreased rate of reporting the infections make it difficult to know the precise number of incidences. This article discusses some guidelines on the standard precautions that is necessary to mitigate the risks associated with the basic diagnostic laboratory procedures of biosafety level 2.