Chapter 11: Transportation of Biological Materials
Training is required prior to shipping of materials off campus. This does not count as training. The packaging and transportation of biological materials are subject to strict local, state, federal, and international regulations. This is particularly so if the material is transported through the “public domain,” namely, those roadways, airways, and sea lanes accessible to […]
Appendix B: Laboratory Ventilation and Containment for Biosafety
Laboratory-ventilated containment equipment fall into three (3) major categories: Laboratory Chemical (Fume) Hoods Traditional laboratory chemical (or fume) hoods are designed to capture and control chemical vapors and pull them away from the worker. Although the inward flow of air protects the user, chemical hoods do not protect the product (the desired organism being manipulated). […]
Appendix C: Autoclave Quality Assurance Program
Autoclaving is an accepted procedure for the decontamination of certain biohazardous waste. Biological cultures and stocks, contaminated solid waste, and liquid waste can be sterilized through autoclaving. After sterilization in a steam autoclave, these materials are considered non-infectious. All autoclaved waste is placed into the solid biohazard waste stream. Wastes from the BSL4 and BSL3 […]
Appendix D: Biosafety Level 2 (BSL2) Requirements
Biosafety Level 2 (BSL2) is suitable for experiments involving agents of moderate potential hazard to personnel and the environment. For example: Microorganisms of low biohazard potential, such as those in Risk Group 2 or BSL2. Recombinant DNA activity requiring BSL2 physical containment including animal studies that involve the construction of transgenic animals. Non-recombinant cell and/or […]
Chapter 5: Laboratory Biosafety Practices
The foundations of protective practices in a laboratory lie in an individual’s laboratory experience, technical knowledge, personal work habits, and attitude toward laboratory safety. Unlike administrative controls, which are behaviors dictated by regulation or laboratory policy, the term “protective behavior” is used to define an innate part of each individual worker’s personal approach to the […]
Chapter 6: Laboratory Training
Training is a critical component of any integrated biological safety program. Training is intended to provide the understanding, technical knowledge, and tools that the trainee can use to improve his or her daily laboratory safety practices. At a minimum, all personnel working with biological materials must have training in the following areas prior to the […]
Chapter 8: Biohazardous Spill Response
Even with the most careful planning and implementation of a research project, the possibility of an incident or spill involving biological materials exists. The following procedures are intended to provide a planned response to such rare events. The highest priority is to provide aid to injured personnel and prevent spill area access to others. Preplanning […]
Chapter 3: List of Regulations and Guidelines
Federal, State, and Local Agency Regulations The following is a summary of federal, state, and local agency regulations and guidelines that either regulate or provide guidelines covering the use of biological agents: Centers for Disease Controls and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health: Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL), 6th Edition, 2020. This […]
Chapter 2: Approval of Research Projects
What Needs Approval PIs planning to conduct research using recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules and/or hazardous biological materials that pose a potential risk to the health of humans, animals, or plants, either directly through infection or indirectly through damage to the environment, must submit an IBC Application entitled “Biological Use Authorization” (BUA) to the […]
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 […]