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General Biosafety

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The TCU Institutional Biosafety Committee (“IBC”) is the institutional body responsible for oversight of activities involving biohazardous agents and recombinant and synthetic nucleic acid molecules that require approval for “biosafety activities” as described in current governmental regulatory requirement. This includes helping to ensure compliance for all research and teaching activities using biohazardous materials.

Additional information regarding biosafety, including the members of the IBC, can be found on the Research Compliance Biosafety page.

Resources & Forms

 

Training
Prior to beginning work with any biohazardous materials, all personnel must complete the relevant training. Training will be administered through the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI Program). CITI completion certificates must be provided to the IBC at the time of protocol submission. The Principal Investigator (PI) must add all project personnel to the appropriate IBC active protocol. The required training will depend on the type of activity being conducted. Additional information is available on the IBC Training site

Online training, administered via HSI/SafetySkills, is assigned to students enrolled in various identified undergraduate Biology courses. Assignment of the online courses is overseen by the Environmental Health and Safety department. For further training information contact safety@tcu.edu or call 81-257-5395. 

Laboratory Safety: Biological Hazards -  UNV-4.2
Individuals will be introduced to the basics of laboratory biosafety Laboratory Biosafety Level (BSLs). Additionally, this online course addresses common biological hazards, personal protective equipment, housekeeping, decontamination, working after hours, and common first aid practices. This course was designed in accordance with guidelines from the US Centers for Disease Control, as well as applicable OSHA standards.

Biosafety Level 2 - LAB-13.2
This online course addresses the general protections and requirements for BSL-2 environments. Included is recognition of basic biosafety considerations in laboratories, identification of BSL-2 facility considerations, and identification of appropriate personal protective equipment.

Laboratory Safety in Research and Education - UNV-8.2
This online course focuses on the identification of common physical hazards and related safe work practices as recommended by OSHA. The use of personal protective equipment and standard emergency response procedures for laboratory work is also addressed.