Practical Biosafety

This periodic guide is prepared by the VEHS

Biosafety Section to highlight lab safety practices
related to the use of biological materials in

for Vanderbilt Research Labs research. Our contact information is provided at

the end of this document if you need specific
assistance.

BIOSAFETY TRAINING REQUIREMENTS & RESOURCES

Biological materials that fall under the biosafety “The laboratory supervisor must ensure that laboratory
standards applicable to research include: personnel receive appropriate training regarding their
duties, the necessary precautions to prevent exposures,
 Recombinant DNA molecules
and exposure evaluation procedures. Personnel must
 Agents infectious to humans, animals or plants
receive annual updates or additional training when
 Human-derived materials and cells
procedural or policy changes occur…”
 Nonhuman primate-derived materials and cells
 Toxins of biological origin -CDC/NIH Biosafety in Microbiological & Biomedical
Laboratories, 5th edition
Personnel working with these materials are likely to have a high level of scientific expertise in order to support the
research. However, these personnel need to incorporate biocontainment practices into daily lab activities in order to
reduce exposure risk for themselves and others. To do this successfully, they need to be knowledgeable about these
practices through completion of initial and annual biosafety training. It is the Principal Investigator’s responsibility to
assure that initial and annual training requirements are met, and that training records are maintained and available
upon request. VEHS Biosafety provides support in this regard by offering training sessions, training resource
documents, and records for VEHS-provided sessions. New & updated resources are highlighted below.

Biosafety Refresher 2014

All personnel working with materials requiring BSL-2 containment should have initially completed a Principles &
Practices of Biosafety course through VEHS or been provided with comparable training delivered by their PI. These
personnel need to complete a refresher each year that focuses on exposure control practices. The Biosafety
Refresher course is a means for those who completed the Principles & Practices of Biosafety course prior to 2014, but
did not complete a Biosafety Refresher in 2014, to fulfill their annual training requirements. To register for one of the
3 remaining classes, visit https://www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/gcm/rate/index.php/course/list. The course is listed under
the “Environmental Health & Safety” department.

Biosafety 101: Standard Microbiological Practices

This on-line training module is under development and will be made available before the end of January 2015. This
module is designed to be an informational primer for ALL PI’s who have a BSL-1 or BSL-2 lab. Additionally, it is
appropriate for lab personnel who work with biological materials that require BSL-1 containment only. To register for
this training, please email Bettye Ridley (bettye.ridley@vanderbilt.edu ).

Biosafety Training Guide for Principal Investigators & Lab Supervisors

VEHS Biosafety has prepared a guidance document with a decision tree to determine training needs based on
materials in use and a summary table that outlines the avenues for training completion. Please note that this table is
not prescriptive in nature in order to allow labs flexibility in fulfilling training responsibilities. The Biosafety Training
Guide for Principal Investigators & Lab Supervisors can be found at the following link:
http://www.safety.vanderbilt.edu/training/biosafety-training-guide.pdf

Turn the page for more Practical Biosafety…

VEHS Biosafety 1/2015

 Planning for a new Biosafety Cabinet (BSC)?
There are some key details to address before putting your new
(or new to you) BSC to work.
1. If the BSC is being acquired from another location at Vanderbilt,
verify that it has been gas decontaminated or “cleared” by VEHS
Biosafety before it is moved.
2. Avoid positioning the BSC next to commonly used doors, at the
end of busy bench areas, or under air supply vents.
3. Don’t have gas connected to the BSC without consulting VEHS
Biosafety. Bunsen burners in BSCs should be avoided if at all
possible as this is a significant fire hazard.
4. Have the cabinet certified in accordance with NSF 49 after it is
positioned and before using it. (If purchasing a BSC, verify with
your sales rep whether or not certification is included in your
purchased package. NSF-accredited BSC certifiers can be found
at: http://info.nsf.org/Certified/Biosafety-Certifier/ .)
5. Contact VEHS Biosafety to let them know the location of the new
BSC. An inventory of all BSCs and certification reports is under
development to assist researchers in accessing cabinet histories, Example of an ideal BSC setup with
and to support VEHS Biosafety surveillance activities. waste collection and disinfectant
available inside the cabinet. There are
More detailed information regarding biosafety cabinet acquisition no non-essential items in the BSC. The
and maintenance can be found in the document entitled: chair is constructed of sealed
Maintaining, Moving & Transferring Class II Biological Safety Cabinets cleanable materials. Kudos!
(BSCs).

Sharps Container Selection: Size Matters!

Sharps containers are intended to minimize the potential for personnel to sustain a needle stick or cut when storing
and handling sharps waste. Unfortunately, the potential for an exposure to occur during the process of depositing a
device into the container can increase if the container is the wrong size for the devices in use and volume of waste.
Small Container (less than 3 gallons) Considerations
 Easy to position on the bench within arm’s reach for immediate sharps disposal.
 Need to be deep enough so that items in use can freely fall inside.
 Most ideal for shorter items like slides, needles, lancets, blades.
Large Container (greater than 3 gallons) Considerations
 Generally too large to be placed on bench, therefore requiring the user to walk to the
container with sharp in hand, or to bring the sharp next to their lower body while
reaching down to dispose of it.
 Most ideal for large volumes of longer items like Pasteur pipettes and disposable scalpels.

VEHS Biosafety Section Contacts

Rich DiTullio, PhD Robin Trundy, MS, CBSP Bettye Ridley, PhD
Safety Officer Assistant Director/Biosafety Officer Senior Safety Officer
322-1988 322-0927 322-0243
richard.ditullio@vanderbilt.edu robin.trundy@vanderbilt.edu bettye.ridley@vanderbilt.edu

VEHS Biosafety 1/2015