Biosafety Manual

The purpose of this manual is to define the biological safety policies and procedures pertaining to research operations at Boston University (BU) and Boston Medical Center (BMC). The policies and procedures located within this document are designed to safeguard personnel and the environment from biologically hazardous materials and to comply with federal, state, and local regulatory requirements. All BU and BMC Principal Investigators (PIs) and laboratory workers must adhere to the biological safety policies and procedures in the conduct of their research and the management of their laboratories.

Download the Biosafety Manual PDF

For information about specific biological safety programs for operations not covered in this manual, contact the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) office or the Biological Safety Officer (BSO).

Table of Contents

• Chapter 1: Biological Safety Program: Purpose, Scope, and Responsibilities
• Chapter 2: Approval of Research Projects
• Chapter 3: List of Regulations and Guidelines
• Chapter 4: Biosafety Principles
• Chapter 5: Laboratory Biosafety Practices
• Chapter 6: Laboratory Training
• Chapter 7: Decontamination and Sterilization
• Chapter 8: Biohazardous Spill Response
• Chapter 9: Biohazardous and Medical Waste Disposal
• Chapter 10: Federal Select Agent Program
• Chapter 11: Transportation of Biological Materials

Appendices

• Appendix A: Importation and Exportation of Infectious Biological Agents
• Appendix B: Laboratory Ventilation and Containment for Biosafety
• Appendix C: Autoclave Quality Assurance Program
• Appendix D: Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2) Requirements
• Appendix E: Biosafety Level 3 (BSL3) and Biosafety Level 4 (BSL4) Requirements and Practices
• Appendix F: Guidelines for Work with Toxins of Biological Origin
• Appendix G: List of Biological Agents with the Potential to Cause Laboratory Acquired Infection (LAI)
• Appendix H: Prion Research/Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease (CJD) Guidelines
• Appendix I: Summary of Requirements for Biosafety Levels
• Appendix J: Summary of Requirements for Animal Biosafety Levels
• Appendix K: Bloodborne Pathogen Standard
• Appendix L: Working Safely with Animals
• Appendix M: Procedures for Working in an Animal Biosafety Level 2 (ABSL2) Facility at BU
• Appendix N: Verification of Attenuated Biosafety Level 3 (BSL3) Pathogens Policy
• Appendix O: Boston Public Health Commission Requirements
• Appendix P: ROHP Medical Surveillance Program
• Appendix Q: Laboratory and Equipment Decontamination Procedures
• Appendix R: Laboratory Decommissioning and Relocation Procedures
• Appendix S: Laboratory Door Signage
• Appendix T: Boston University Research Compliance Policy on Disease Surveillance and Reporting for High-Risk Agents
• Appendix U: Criteria for Development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)
• Appendix V: Boston University Institutional Biosafety Committee Noncompliance Policy
• Appendix W: BSL3 and BSL4 Biosafety Plan