east carolina universityoffice of prospective health/biological safety biological safety training

East Carolina University Office of Prospective Health/Biological Safety

Biological Safety Training


http://www.ecu.edu/cs-dhs/prospectivehealth/index.cfm

Introduction to Biological Safety

Biological Hazards are divided into 4 Biosafety Levels– BSL 1– BSL 2– BSL 3– BSL4

Biosafety levels define the lab requirements, protective clothing, and work practices



BioSafety Definitions

BSL 1 (BMBL)– Not known to cause disease in healthy human

adults– Pose minimal hazards under ordinary

conditions of handling



BioSafety Level 1

• Standard Practices– Use Mechanical Pipetting devices– No Eating, Drinking, Smoking in

Lab– Minimize splashes and aerosols– Decontaminate work surfaces– Safe handling of sharps– Wash Hands before leaving lab– Biohazard sign is posted



BioSafety Level 1

• Protective Clothing– Lab Coat– Gloves– Eye Protection

(if splashes are likely)




• BSL 2 (BMBL)– Work with well-characterized agents not known

to cause disease in healthy adult humans; minimal hazard to laboratory personnel and the environment

Examples: Salmonella, Hepatitis B VirusMeasles Virus (not aerosolized)




• Other Materials Handled at BSL 2(Requires compliance with OSHA BBP Standard)

– Human Blood– Human Tissues– Human Cell Lines– Biotoxins– Viral Vectors



BioSafety Level 2

• Standard Practices– All requirements for BSL 1 plus:

• Access to laboratory is limited or restricted when work is being conducted; door is closed

• Personnel have specific training in handling pathogenic agents

• Extreme precautions are taken with contaminated sharp items



BioSafety Level 2

• Standard Practices cont.• Written Biosafety Procedures

• Report Spills

• Minimize aerosol generation

• Personnel receive immunizations or testing (e.g. Hep B vaccine or TB skin Testing)



BioSafety Level 2

• Personal Protective Equipment

– Lab Coats

– Gloves

• Double Gloving when appropriate

– Eye Protection - Safety Glasses/Shield

– Biosafety Cabinets or sealed safety centrifuge



BioSafety Level 3

• BSL 3 (BMBL)– Use of indigenous or exotic agents which may

cause serious or potentially lethal disease from exposure by the inhalation route.



BioSafety Level 3

• Standard Practices

– All requirements for BSL 2 plus:• Very limited lab access

• 2 doors in a series to access lab

• Able to decontaminate entire lab

• Special exhaust ventilation (Not re-circulated, no airflow outward)



BioSafety Level 3

• Standard Practices –cont.– High level of training– Personnel receive vaccinations if available– Work in Biosafety cabinets and/or respirator

used



BioSafety Level 3

• Examples– Mycobacterium Tuberculosis– Hanta virus– SARS



BioSafety Level 4

• BSL 4 (BMBL)– dangerous and exotic agents with a high risk of

aerosol-transmitted laboratory infections and life-threatening disease.



BioSafety Level 4

• Requirements– All requirements for BSL3 plus:

• Class III Biosafety cabinet

or positive pressure suits

• Shower/Change rooms

• Clothing Autoclaved before laundering

• Air Locks

• All waste contained and

decontaminated onsite

• Space Suits



Space Suit



BioSafety Level 4

• Examples– Ebola Virus

– Monkey B Virus

– Marburg Virus



Safe Work Practices for all Levels

• Wash hands after work; when removing gloves; before leaving lab

• No eating, drinking, applying cosmetics, handling contact lenses in the lab.

• Maintain labs in clean, orderly fashion.



Safe Work Practices for all Levels

• Limit access to lab when work with organisms is in progress

• Use good microbiological techniques

• No mouth pipetting

• When possible use plastic instead of glass



Sharps Safety

• Sharps include needles, syringes, razor blades, lancets, slides, scalpels, pipettes, micropipettes, pipette tips, broken plastic or glassware, and other devices capable of cutting or piercing the skin.



Sharps Safety

• Contaminated needles are not bent, recapped, or removed.

• If recapping is required, use a mechanical device or a one handed technique.



Sharps Safety

• Safety devices or alternatives to needles should be used when available.



Sharps Disposal

• Sharps containers for disposal of these items are conveniently located and easily accessible.



Sharps Disposal

• Syringes and syringes without a needle attached go into a sharps container

• Contaminated micropipettes, pipette tips, and Pasteur pipettes are discarded in a puncture-resistant container or a sharps container for disposal.



Sharps Disposal

• Don’t place needles or sharps in soft-sided bags.



Laminar Flow Equipment

BioSafety Cabinets (BSCs)

Protect personnel and the environment from hazardous particulates and from infectious agents

Laminar Flow Clean Benches (LFBs)

Non Hazardous work only

Protect work from contamination

*Do not protect personnel*



BioSafety Cabinets

• 3 Classes

• All exhaust is HEPA filtered before leaving

the cabinet



NIH Guidelines for Use of Recombinant DNA apply to all

work at ECU,not just NIH-funded work.

The university can be sanctioned for failure to comply.



NIH Guidelines may apply to work with:

• Recombinant DNA or RNA

• Genetic/Recombinant Techniques, molecules or organisms

• Transgenic plants or animals or knock-out organisms

• Viral or host vector systems or plasmids

• Human gene transfer

• Transfer of drug-resistance to microorganisms not known to acquire it naturally

• Formation of DNA or RNA genes to synthesize toxin molecules



At ECU, all work which may be subject to the NIH Guidelines

must be reviewed by the Biological Safety to determine

whether the work is “NIH exempt.”

The researcher may not make this determination independently



Submission of a Biological Safety registration to the Institutional Biological Safety Committee will ensure that full review per the NIH Guidelines occurs.

Form is available on the Prospective Health website http://www.ecu.edu/cs-dhs/prospectivehealth/Biological-Safety-Office-of-Prospective-Health.cfm



Some work must be approved by NIH as well as by the local Institutional

Biological Safety Committee:

• Transfer of Drug Resistance to microorganisms not known to acquire naturally

• Formation of genes to synthesize toxins lethal to vertebrates at an LD50 of < 100 nanograms per kg body weight (e.g., tetanus toxin)

• Human gene transfer



Drug resistance is of concern if it could compromise the use of the drug to control disease in humans, veterinary medicine or agriculture.

Only NIH may determine whether the drug resistance can compromise therapeutic use!

This is not a local or researcher decision.



Biological Safety interfaces with the Human Subjects Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) to ensure that the NIH Guidelines are met at ECU.



The IBC must report significant violations of the NIH Guidelines, as well as research-related accidents and illnesses to the NIH Office of Biotechnology Affairs.



Contact Biological Safety, Office of Prospective Health for

questions.



For more information see the ECU Biological Safety Manual

Office of Prospective Health/Biological Safety

Biological Safety Committee

East Carolina University

http://www.ecu.edu/cs-dhs/prospectivehealth/customcf/biosafety/BIOLOGICAL_SAFETY_MANUAL%20_WEB.pdf

east carolina universityoffice of prospective health/biological safety biological safety training

Documents

biosafety definitions

biosafety levels bsl

sealed safety centrifuge

aerosolized slide

likely slide

bsl4 biosafety levels

standard practices

work practices