Environmental, Health and Safety Services

Biosafety for Researchers: Standard/Special Lab Practices

Access Control

  • BSL1 Labs
    • Access doors must be controlled. The level and means of control may be determined by the Principal Investigator. It is preferred that doors are lockable.
    • The established access control policy must be documented in the facility/research-specific safety manual.
  • BSL2 Labs
    • Access doors must be locked when no one is present in the lab for an extended period.
    • In buildings with additional access security in place at the main entrance or within the building itself (e.g., Life Sciences I, CMMID), this requirement may be waived or adjusted based on review and approval by the University Biosafety Officer.
  • BSL3 Labs
    • Access doors must remain locked except when entering or exiting.
    • An entry/exit log (doc) must be maintained for each BSL3 area. The entry/exit log may be electronic or written.
    • Written entry/exit logs must be placed right inside the first door of the anteroom and maintained for at least three years.

Signs and Labeling

  • All access doors to labs or vertebrate/invertebrate animal rooms where biohazardous materials are used or stored must be posted with appropriate hazard information and emergency contacts.
  • For security reasons, a current list of biohazardous agents and toxins used or stored within the area must be kept in a readily accessible location inside the lab or storage room, preferably on the inside of the primary access door.
  • The biohazard symbol must be placed on items that could be contaminated. This may include:
    • equipment (e.g., refrigerators, freezers, and incubators);
    • transport containers;
    • primary and secondary storage containers;
    • animal cages;
    • waste containers; and
    • sharps containers.

    • EHSS maintains a supply of biohazard labels in a variety of sizes that are free to the research community.

Inventory Control

  • BSL1/BSL2 Labs
    • A current and accurate list of each biohazardous agent or toxin held in long-term storage must be maintained and posted in a readily accessible location inside the lab, preferably on the inside of the primary access door.
    • The inventory must be reviewed periodically for discrepancies.
  • BSL3 Labs
    • A current and accurate inventory and access record of each biohazardous agent or toxin, including viral genetic elements and recombinant nucleic acids and recombinant organisms, held in long-term storage must be maintained.
    • Inventory and access records must be:
      • located near the storage area inside the room and kept secure;
      • maintained by the laboratory for at least three years;
      • reviewed periodically by the laboratory supervisor for any discrepancies; and
      • provided to the University Biosafety Officer or other regulatory agency during an inspection.

Food and Drink

  • For any type of biological lab, eating, drinking, and storing food for human consumption is not permitted in laboratory areas. Food must be stored outside the lab area in cabinets or refrigerators designated (i.e., labeled) and used for this purpose.

Smoking, Contact Lenses, Cosmetics

  • Smoking, handling contact lenses, and applying cosmetics is not permitted in laboratory areas.

Handwashing

  • All personnel manipulating potentially contaminated research materials must wash their hands after completion of work and before leaving the laboratory.
  • All visitors to the lab must wash their hands before they leave the lab if they have touched anything within the lab.

Mouth-pipetting Policy

  • Mouth-pipetting is prohibited; mechanical pipetting devices must be used.

Sharps Use

  • Careful management of needles and other sharps must be observed.
  • Needles must not be bent, sheared, broken, recapped, removed from disposable syringes, or otherwise manipulated by hand before disposal.
  • Used disposable needles and syringes must be carefully placed in conveniently located sharps containers.
  • Non disposable sharps must be placed in a hard-walled container for transport to a processing area for decontamination, preferably by autoclaving.
  • Broken glassware must not be handled directly. It must be removed by using a brush and dustpan, tongs, or forceps.
  • Plasticware must be substituted for glassware whenever possible.

Aerosol/Splash Prevention

  • All procedures must be performed in such a way as to minimize the creation of splashes and/or aerosols.

Decontamination/Disposal

  • BSL1/BSL2/BSL3 Labs
    • Work Surfaces
      • Must be decontaminated with an appropriate disinfectant after:
        • completion of work; and
        • any spill or splash of potentially infectious material.
    • Equipment
      • If potentially infectious material is used, then equipment must be decontaminated:
        • routinely (e.g., daily or weekly depending on frequency of use and infectious nature of material used);
        • after spills or splashes; and
        • before repair, maintenance, or removal from the laboratory.
    • Research Materials
      • Cultures, stocks, and other potentially contaminated materials must be decontaminated before disposal.
        • Autoclaving is the preferred method to use, but there may be instances when autoclaving is not possible. In these instances, please consult with the University Biosafety Officer for acceptable alternative decontamination procedures.
      • Materials to be decontaminated outside the immediate area must be transported in durable, leak-proof containers which are secured.
  • BSL1/BSL2 Labs
  • BSL3 Labs
      • BSL3 labs must autoclave everything (i.e., liquids, solids, and sharps) prior to disposal.
      • Solid BSL3 waste must be disposed of as regulated medical waste after autoclaving.
      • The autoclave must be located within the lab.

Pest Management

  • Each lab must ensure that pests, such as flies and cockroaches which may become vectors of disease, are managed and do not compromise the research environment. Even the presence of innocuous insects can contribute to the perception of unsanitary conditions.
  • Each Principal Investigator is responsible for developing an integrated pest management program. The program must be communicated to all personnel and incorporated into the facility-specific safety manual.

Training/Education

  • Training is required for all personnel working in laboratories or animal rooms where biological agents or other hazardous materials are used.
  • It is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator or Animal Facility Director to ensure that adequate instruction is provided.
  • Personnel must demonstrate proficiency in standard and special microbiological practices before working in the lab or animal room.
  • Research-specific training must include, at a minimum, the following topics:
    • Potential h azards in the lab or animal room (e.g., biological, chemical, and radiological);
    • Security policy and procedures for accessing the lab and materials within the lab and storage areas;
    • Acceptable laboratory and animal handling practices;
    • Personal protective equipment requirements;
    • Proper use of … (specific equipment used in the lab);
    • Signs and labeling requirement;
    • Medical surveillance requirements;
    • Decontamination procedures for equipment, work surfaces, and waste;
    • Waste management; and
    • Incident response and reporting procedures.
  • Annual lab-specific refresher training is required. Additional training is required when procedural or policy changes occur.
  • Documentation (doc) of all training must be maintained for at least three years after the date of the training.

Medical Surveillance

  • It is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator to identify “at-risk” personnel and notify EHSS with the names of individuals requiring medical services.
  • BSL1 Labs
    • There are no specific medical surveillance requirements for work with BSL1 agents.
    • Daily monitoring of personal health status is required.
  • BSL2/BSL3 Labs
    • Vaccinations
      • Vaccines, if available for the agent in question, must be offered to all clearly identified “at-risk” personnel.
      • Hepatitis B vaccinations must be offered to all personnel identified as “at-risk” for exposure to human blood and blood products.
    • Antibody Titers
      • Baseline and routine titer checks are required for all individuals working with non-vaccine preventable agents, if such testing is available.
    • Medical Evaluation
      • Each individual will review with the occupational health physician any previous or ongoing medical problems, current medications, allergies to medicines, animals, and other environmental proteins, and prior immunizations. The potential health hazards present and steps to take should an exposure occur will also be reviewed. A targeted medical exam to determine an individual’s medical fitness to work in the lab may be required if pre-existing conditions are a concern. Medical histories will be required of all personnel working with vertebrate and/or invertebrate animals.
        • Medical evaluation will be provided for individuals following an exposure incident to blood, potentially infectious material, or to a specific agent.
      • Daily monitoring of personal health status is required.
  • Self-Monitoring of Personal Health
    • Monitoring of daily health status and signs and symptoms of disease consistent with the agents manipulated in the lab is required of all lab personnel. Self-reporting of symptoms to the Principal Investigator or Lab Manager is highly encouraged, but not required. Consultation with EHSS or the university's occupational health physician prior to discussion with the Principal Investigator or Lab Manager is available to determine whether or not symptoms may be associated with lab duties.
    • Personal health status may impact an individual’s susceptibility to infection, ability to receive immunizations, and prophylactic and therapeutic interventions.  Therefore, all personnel and particularly, but not limited to, women of child-bearing age, immunocompromised individuals, persons suffering chronic inflammatory conditions, cancer patients, organ transplant recipients, patients undergoing chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or immunosuppressive therapy are to be provided with information regarding immune competence and conditions that may predispose them to infection.  Individuals having these or any other medical condition are strongly encouraged to self-identify to EHSS for appropriate counseling and guidance from the university’s occupational health physician.