Biological Safety
Texas Christian University is actively committed to preserving the health and safety
of its students, staff, and faculty and to protecting the environment and surrounding
community. TCU Environmental Health & Safety provides guidance regarding the assessment,
containment, and security of biological materials that complement the institutional
operating policies which support compliance with the guidelines, recommendations,
and regulations applicable to such work.
Biological safety begins with providing lab-specific training regarding occupational
risks associated with the research materials and procedures. Each Principal Investigator
should determine the safety requirements for their staff through consideration of
the types of organisms handled and procedures performed in their laboratory. TCU has
developed program material and training courses in several areas that will assist
Principal Investigators in fulfilling the needs of their laboratories, in addition
to meeting the requirements set forth by regulating agencies. Currently, the highest
level of research authorized at TCU is BSL-2.
The 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 the current regulatory requirements. Environmental Health and Safety also assists researchers with biosafety training and managing biological waste disposal. More details on biological and biomedical research, TCU's IBC, and related policies and procedures are available on the Office of Research Biosafety website.
Resources
Institutional Biosafety Committee
NIH rDNA Guidelines
Center for Disease Controls (CDC) - Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories