Summary - (CDC)
Biosafety in Microbiological and Biological Labs
Under CDC guidelines,
for work at biosafety level 2 and above, the Principal Investigator
must:
- limit or restrict
access to the laboratory when work with infectious agents is in
progress, including determining who may be at increased risk;
- establish policies
and procedures whereby only persons who have been advised of the
potential hazards and meet specific entry requirements (e.g.,
immunization) may enter the laboratory;
- ensure that laboratory
personnel are offered appropriate immunizations or tests for the
agents handled or potentially present in the laboratory (e.g.,
hepatitis B vaccine or TB skin testing);
- select and provide
appropriate personal protective equipment required for work with
hazardous materials;
- ensure that the
biohazard symbol is used to identify equipment, containers, rooms
and materials that contain or are contaminated with viable hazardous
agents or human blood/tissue;
- ensure that a biological
safety cabinet is available for procedures with a potential for
creating infectious aerosols or splashes (centrifuging, grinding,
blending, vigorous shaking or mixing, sonic disruption, opening
containers with different internal pressures, inoculating animals
intranasally, harvesting infected tissues from animals or embryonate
eggs), or high concentrations or large volumes of infectious agents
or organisms containing recombinant DNA molecules are used.
- ensure that laboratory
and support personnel receive appropriate training on the potential
hazards associated with the work involved, the necessary precautions
to prevent exposures, and the exposure evaluation procedures,
and that personnel receive annual updates or additional training
as necessary for procedural or policy changes; and
- develop standard
operating procedures incorporating biosafety procedures or a biosafety
manual prepared specifically for the laboratory and safety procedures
for toxins, advise personnel of special hazards, and require them
to read and follow instructions on practices and procedures (see
BSL-2
SOPs and Animal
BSL-2 SOPs for help).
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