Team:Baltimore/Safety

From 2011.igem.org

Revision as of 21:58, 17 August 2011

Laboratory Responsibility

The lab plays a large role in the Biosafety and and BioSecurity of all campus labs including the iGem team lab. A key role is implementing the institutional and Federal and local applicable regulations and designating a Lab Safety Officer. In addition, lab accountability covers:

• Labeling and documentation - on lab doors, cabinets/storage, waste containers and materials
• Material Data Safety Sheets on any incoming or outgoing lab material. See Also Team:Baltimore/Solutions
• Project Safety Analysis - where hazards are identified in every lab process and risk reduction strategy is implemented.
• Housekeeping of the facilities and equipment
• Emergency response also falls under the responsibility of the lab from First Aid, Protective devices, training and evacuation routes
• Also very important is the lab risk analysis - evaluating the biosafety level (BSL)designation.

The iGem lab is equipped for a BSL 2 designation, but our team lab facilities are designated as basic - BioSafety Level 1 - based on the lab design/construction, equipment, practices and operational procedures working with various agents. The recombinant DNA technology used in our labs is safe. Plasmid cloning vectors in combination with Escherichia coli K12 strain have been entirely sequenced. E.coli K12 is a non-pathogenic strain that can’t permanently colonize in healthy humans so routine genetic engineering experiments can safely be performed at BSL 1.

Individual Team Member Responsibility

Each team member is responsible for their own safety while working in the lab as well as for those around them. It is required that all team members abide by government, institutional and lab regulations and policy including personnel safety practices and lab safety practices as emphasized in training. Baltimore iGem team members are committed to staying up to date on current regulation and reducing risk for Physical, Chemical and Biological hazards

iGEM TEAM SAFETY CODE

We recognize the importance of each member's personal responsibility to the safety and security of our labs and our work. This includes the duty of not ignoring another's unsafe or possible harmful actions. We are committed to acting in a responsible manner and taking a pro-active approach to staying current with international and national laws, regulations and guidelines. We are dedicated to being informed about principles and practices designed to prevent hostile use of our labs, equipment, materials and products. It is our duty to contemplate the safety and security issues that may arise as an outcome of our projects.

The following are important questions we answer as a team:

1. Would any of your project ideas raise safety issues in terms of:
   • No, our project does not raise any safety issues in regards to researcher, public or environmental safety. We operate under the BSL-1 category and adhere to Standard Microbiological Practices as recommended by the US Dept. of Health & Human Services, CDC & NIH. Lab Safety Training has been provided to each team member is properly supervised. The team is working with nonpathogenic e.coli bacteria. Ethidium bromide requires proper personal safety equipment and precautions and disposal.
2. Do any of the new BioBrick parts (or devices) that you made this year raise any safety issues? If yes,
   • No, the parts we made this year do not raise any safety issues. We are working with the Thermos aquaticus polymerase (Taq) gene, which poses no safety threats.
3. Is there a local biosafety group, committee, or review board at your institution?
   • The Baltimore iGEM team is a diverse group of students with a wide range of ages and varying backgrounds – all with a common interest of genetic engineering. The main Baltimore iGEM team lab is located at the Towson University under the direction of Dr. Elizabeth Goode. The responsibility of Bio-Safety and Bio-Security extends from the institution to the lab and to each individual team member. The college is accountable for: hazard identification, a written Hazard Communication Plan (HCP), management of Material Safety Data Safety Sheets (MSDS) and safety training.
   • Towson University abides by federal regulations and guidelines developed and enforced by: Center for Disease Control (CDC), National Institute for Health (NIH), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), EnvironmentalProtection Services (EPA), Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).The purpose is to provide all those utilizing college lab facilities with a reference guide to working with hazardous chemicals. This program includes a chemical hygiene plan (CHP) detailing chemical safety information and procedures.

   Items included in the CHP are

   General chemical safety rules and procedures

   Purchases, distribution and storage of chemicals

   Environmental monitoring

   Availability of medical programs

   Maintenance, housekeeping and inspection procedures

   Availability of protective devices and clothing

   Record keeping policies

   Training and employee/student information programs

   Chemical labeling requirement

   Accident and spill policies

   Waste disposal programs

   Emergency response plans

   Designation of a safety officer

   • Each iGEM team member is required to complete lab safety training and signs a safety procedure agreemen. Included in the training are Standard or Good Microbiological Practices (GMP) which are basic practices for working with any microorganism. Also some universal lab safety rules are required practice.
4. Do you have any other ideas how to deal with safety issues that could be useful for future iGEM competitions? How could parts, devices and systems be made even safer through biosafety engineering?
   • A common training program, such as CDC Lab BioSafety certification, would be useful training to iGEM team members, especially those teams that are laking institutional support. .