BIOSAFETY BASICS

Use the drop downs below to read about what biohazardous materials are made of, keys to working safely with biohazardous materials, and work practices to determine safe biosafety levels. 

• Types of biohazardous materials
  • Organisms and viruses infectious to humans, animals or plants (e.g., parasites, viruses, bacteria, fungi, prions, rickettsia) cultured human and animal cells.
  • Cultured human and animal cells.
  • Certain types of recombinant and/or synthetic DNA.
  • Biologically active agents that may cause disease in other living organisms or cause significant impact to the environment or community (i.e., toxins, allergens, venoms).
• Keys to working with biohazardous materials
  • Performing a risk assessment prior to beginning work with biohazardous materials or when procedures and protocols have changed for an established Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
  • Understanding what Risk Groups and biosafety levels are and the differences between them.
  • Ensuring that training requirements have been met prior to beginning work with biohazardous materials.
  • Ensuring that any required equipment has been certified and is in proper working order.
  • Ensuring that any required Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is available and that laboratory personnel are trained in it's proper use and care.
  • Posting biosafety signs in appropriate locations throughout the lab and especially at any entrance to the lab.
• Biosafety work practices

  For a summary of Biosafety Work Practices, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Laboratory Facilities, refer to the CDC/NIH Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL) 6th edition.
  
  Human and other primate materials (i.e. tissues, cells, blood, sera, etc.) are to be handled at Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2) and higher. Additionally, work with human materials require compliance with the OSHA "Occupational Exposure to Blood-borne Pathogens" regulation.
  
  To determine what Biosafety Level (BSL) is appropriate for the biohazardous materials you are working with, consult the following sources of information:

  • Public Health Agency of Canada Material Safety Data Sheets
  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  • American Biological Safety Association Risk Group Classification for Infectious Agents
  • NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant and Synthetic DNA Molecules