Biological Safety

Training and Procedures

• Training

  Good microbiological and laboratory practices are essential for a safe work environment. All personnel working in a laboratory handling biological materials take the appropriate biological safety-related trainings offered by the EHS.

  Personnel working in BSL1+ should register for the Biosafety Principles learning track in Ability LMS, and complete online training annually.

  In addition, all personnel working with RG-2 or 3 agents or at BSL-2 or 3 should receive adequate laboratory specific training from the Principal Investigator (PI) or laboratory supervisor. 

  Site-Specific Training Checklists 

  • Laboratory (PDF) (general)
  • Veterinary Diagnostic Lab (PDF)

  
  Fundamentals of Centrifuge Safety

  • CDC Fundamentals of Centrifuge Safety Course
• Lab Practices and Resources
  • Autoclave Best Practices
  • Biological Risk Assessment Form (DOCX)
  • Biosafety Cabinet Best Practices
  • Laboratory Visitor Information
  • Biological Inventory Template (XLSX)
  • Mold Growth in Refrigerators
  • Respirator Fit-Test Procedure
• Spills and Injuries
  • Bio Spill Cleanup Procedures

  
  Exposure Response Procedure (PDF)
• Task Procedures

  Example forms:

  • BSL-2 Materials Task Procedure Example Form (DOCX)
  • Bloodborne Pathogens Task Procedure Example Form (DOCX)

  
  Once you have completed one of the above forms, please email it to ehs@msu.edu, Attention Bio-safety Office.

Special Approvals

• Prions and Prion-Infected Tissues

  Because the infectious nature of prions is not well characterized and destruction of these particles goes beyond the techniques typically required for biohazard inactivation, work with these agents requires special considerations for biocontainment to minimize both occupational and environmental exposure risk. Any researchers working with select agents must contact the EHS biosafety team.

  MSU Guidelines for Handling Prions and Prion-Infected Tissues

  References

  • CDC Prion Disesases
  • WHO Infection Control Guidelines for Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (PDF)
• Select Agents

  All individuals who possess select agents must register with the CDC and/or APHIS through the designated institutional responsible official (RO). At MSU, the EHS Director and Biosafety Officer serve in this capacity. Any researchers working with select agents must contact the EHS biosafety team.

  List of Select Agents

  Reference

  • Select Agent Information from CDC/USDA APHIS
• Tuberculosis

  Investigators intending to work with Mycobacterium sp. in the laboratory must contact the EHS biosafety team well in advance. Propagation and/or manipulation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and M. bovis cultures in the laboratory or animal room must be performed at BSL-3.

  Reference

  • OSHA 20 CFR Part 1910: Occupational Exposure to Tuberculosis

Regulatory References

• Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules
  • Recombinant Research Frequently-Asked Questions
  • NIH Guidelines
  • Investigator Responsibilities Under the NIH Guidelines Brochure (PDF)
  • Click - Summary of Recombinant DNA/Bioengineering Research (DOCX)
  • NIH Lentivirus Containment Guidelines (PDF)
  • APHIS 7-CFR-340: Restrictions on the Introduction of Regulated Articles (PDF)
• DHHS / USDA Select Agents / High Consequence Pathogens / Toxins List

  Infectious agents and toxins that appear on this list are considered by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) or the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) as having the potential to pose substantial harm or a severe threat to human, animal or plant health or plant products.

  Possession and transfer of materials on this list (with the possible exception of toxins) requires registration with, and approval of the appropriate regulatory authority by way of the MSU Responsible Official prior to undertaking such activities. More information regarding select agents/high consequence pathogens requirements is available at http://www.selectagents.gov.

  • List of Select Agents
• USDA Restricted Animal Pathogens

  The importation, possession, or use of these agents is prohibited or restricted by law or by U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations or administrative policies.

  List of USDA Restricted Animal Pathogens

• Michigan Department of Agriculture Reportable Animal Diseases

  These are transmissible diseases and toxicological conditions of animals that have the potential for serious consequences to human and/or animals either because of health or economic impacts.

  List of Michigan Department of Agriculture Reportable Animal Diseases

• NIH List of Human Etiologic Agents

  These are biological agents known to infect humans as well as selected animal agents that may pose theoretical risks if inoculated into humans. Work with these agents is likely to require BSL-2 containment conditions as a minimum. Shipping or receiving these agents internationally is also likely to require a permit.

  NIH Guidelines Appendix B: Biological Agents by Risk Group

  • Risk Group 2 (RG2) - Bacterial Agents Including Chlamydia
  • Risk Group 2 (RG2) - Fungal Agents
  • Risk Group 2 (RG2) - Parasitic Agents
  • Risk Group 2 (RG2) - Viruses
  • Risk Group 3 (RG3) - Bacterial Agents Including Rickettsia
  • Risk Group 3 (RG3) - Fungal Agents
  • Risk Group 3 (RG3) - Parasitic Agents
  • Risk Group 3 (RG3) - Viruses and Prions
  • Risk Group 4 (RG4) - Bacterial Agents
  • Risk Group 4 (RG4) - Fungal Agents
  • Risk Group 4 (RG4) - Parasitic Agents
  • Risk Group 4 (RG4) - Viral Agents

  
  For more information ragarding import permits for agents infectious to humans, please go to http://www.cdc.gov/od/eaipp/.

  For information regarding import of animal-derived materials that may contain infectious agents, or any zoonotic agents on the list, please go to http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/index.shtml.

  For information regarding export of any materials on this list, please go to the Department of Commerce at http://www.commerce.gov.

• USDA APHIS Regulated Plant Pest List

  The agents listed in this table are considered to be environmental release threats to agriculture by the USDA. To work with these agents or ship them across state lines or internationally, a USDA Plant Pathogen & Quarantine (PPQ) permit outlining conditions of use and containment requirements is likely to be required. For information regarding PPQ permits, please go to http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/permits.

  USDA APHIS Regulated Plant Pest List

• Human-Derived Materials

  Work with these human-derived materials requires compliance with the Bloodborne Pathogens standard (references: OSHA, MIOSHA)

  • Blood
  • Human Cells and Cell Cultures
  • Unfixed Tissues (other than intact skin)
  • Any Body Fluids where Visible Blood Contamination is Present
  • Semen
  • Vaginal Secretions
  • Spinal/synovial/pericardial Fluid
  • Fluid Surrounding the Lungs

  
  All personnel at risk of exposure must be included in the MSU BBP Exposure Control Program that requires initial and annual retraining and offer of the hepatitis B vaccination program. Please review the information on the bloodborne pathogens section of the EHS website and/or contact EHS.

  Laboratory manipulations of these materials must be minimally conducted at BSL-2, which requires completion of biosafety training through EHS and specific facility and administrative controls. A summary of BSL-2 requirements can be found in Section VIII of the CDC/NIH BMBL (PDF).

• Other Materials of Interest

  The following items also bear additional regulatory consideration based on inherent risks associated with the nature of the source or the need for biocontainment of genetically modified organisms.

  • Unfixed human brain tissue from dementia patients - CDC permit required if shipping internationally; BBP standard applies.
  • Genetically-modified lab animals that are not commercially available - Permit requirements may apply if shipped internationally; IBC registration required for use of these animals in research.
  • Genetically-modified plant materials that are not commercially available - Permit requirements may apply if shipped across state lines or internationally; IBC registration required for use of these plant materials in research.
  • Any plant, animal or insect species that is not native to the state of Michigan
  • Environmental samples from other states or countries that may contain biological organisms that are infectious or exotic
• Additional References
  • American Biological Safety Association
  • Arthropod Containment Guidelines (PDF)
  • Biosafety Cabinetry: Design, Construction, Performance, and Field Certification (PDF) (NSF)
  • Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (CDC/NIH)
    • Summary of Changes for 6th Edition (PDF)
    • Summary of Biosafety Levels
    • Primary Containment for Biohazards (Appendix A, pg 395)
  • Guidelines for Biosafety in Teaching Laboratories (American Society for Microbiology)
  • Plant Bio-Containment Manual (Information Systems for Biotechnology - ISB)
  • Summary of Greenhouse Containment Features (PDF)
  • USDA APHIS Index of Pests & Diseases

Need assistance? Contact the Biosafety Officer