Volume 3 / Issue 8

UNDER THE MICROSCOPEThe Dartmouth College laboratory safety newsletter

ContactEHSforspecificquestions,646-1762ore-mailehs@dartmouth.edu

In 2014, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other agencies created Biosafety Stewardship Month to promote stewardship of the life sciences and biosafety awareness. This year, the NIH’s theme is “promoting biosafety through good governance.” In the United States, there is a comprehensive oversight system in place, from the national to the local level, to protect personnel, the public, agriculture, the environment, and national security (see right).

https://www.phe.gov/s3/Documents/FESAP-guiding-principles.pdf

All individuals conducting or overseeing life sciences research at Dartmouth share a role and responsibility in ensuring everyone is adhering to biosafety requirements and standards.

Key policies and guidelines we follow at Dartmouth:*• NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules

• The Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) oversees this at an institutional level by reviewing and approving biological research on campus, ensuring appropriate training, and developing project-specific safety plans when necessary

• All Dartmouth biological research labs must adhere to the Guidelines and be reviewed by the IBC• Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL)

• The BMBL is a guidance document developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the NIH that advises on biosafety and biocontainment principles, practices, and procedures for U.S. laboratories

• Dartmouth labs follow these guidelines as the standard for safe biological research• Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

• OSHA is the authority for the health and safety of workers, including those working with biologics in laboratories

• OSHA standards applicable to biosafety at Dartmouth include the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (29 CFR 1910.1030) and Personal Protective Equipment Standard (29 CFR 1910 Subpart I)

EHSStaffMaureen, Katrina, Sandy, Ryan, Erik, Jeff, Caitlyn, Molly, Jason

EHS main page: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~ehs/

Key policies and guidelines (cont’d):*• Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals

• Dartmouth complies with standards outlined for the care and use of animals in a scientific,technical, and humanely appropriate manner

• The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) ensures that animal research atDartmouth is conducted safely and with animal welfare at the forefront in accordance with theGuide

• Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)• Dartmouth is required to manage all hazardous waste in a manner that minimizes potential

release or harm to the environment and protects human health• This includes appropriately managing biological waste

• Department of Transportation (DOT) Hazardous Materials Regulations (49 CFR 171-180)• Shipping of biological materials must adhere to DOT regulations, which outline requirements

for safe shipping and handling of infectious substances including packaging, labeling, anddocumentation

• To ship biologics at Dartmouth, personnel must have completed shipping training• Stay tuned for a new online shipping training module in BioRAFT in 2018!

What you can do to promote biosafety at Dartmouth:• Complete required laboratory and biosafety

trainings• Perform your own risk assessment. Ask yourself;

what are the hazards of my experiment, and can I doanything to mitigate risk?

• Ask questions. If you are unsure of aprotocol/procedure, talk to a supervisor beforecontinuing with your work

• Report incidents immediately. Learn more at ourwebsite: Incident Response and Reporting

• Follow all verbal and written laboratory safety rulesand standard operating procedures

• Get to know your friendly Dartmouth BiosafetyOfficer!

Have questions about biosafety? Need assistance performing a risk assessment? Your Biosafety Officer is here to help!

Caitlyn Hauke, PhDEmail: biosafety@dartmouth.edu Office Ph: 603-646-2182 Web: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~ehs/biological/

*This list is not exhaustive of all of the standards, policies, and regulations applicable to research at Dartmouth, but highlights some key governance documents important to maintaining day-to-day operations at the college