The Biological Safety Division is an integral part of the NYU Office of Environment, Health and Safety (EHS). Our goals are to minimize the health risk of those who are involved in research using biohazardous materials; minimize the risk to the NYU community and environment; and meet regulatory requirements. Our department is responsible for assisting the NYU community in implementing university workplace environment, health and safety policies while complying with applicable federal, state, and local regulations and guidelines.
> Biosafety Alert
> Biosafety Cabinets
> Biosafety Manual
> Bloodborne Pathogens
> Laboratory Biosafety
> Recombinant DNA
> Biological/Regulated Medical Waste
> Select Agents
> Shipping and Receiving Biological Materials
> Spills of Biological Material
> Tuberculosis
> Training
Swine Flu Alert
For information on Swine Flu (H1N1) please click on link above to the CDC latest.
How to protect yourself
Hand Hygiene PowerPoint
A quick power point on appropriate hand hygiene.
EHS maintains a contract for the annual service and maintenance of all biosafety cabinets at the University. If you have questions, require non-routine service, want to incorporate new equipment into the contract, or need help selecting appropriate equipment, please contact us.
The Baker Company has developed a wide variety of biological safety cabinets designed to meet diverse applications in the life science, clinical, pharmaceutical and industrial laboratory. More information on the purpose and classification of cabinets can be found here: http://bakerco.com/resources/intro.php
National Institute of Health CDC Information on the Selection, Installation and Use of BSC
Table of Contents
> Biosafety Program & Manual
> Biohazards and Potentially Infectious Material
> Assigning a Biosafety Level
> Biosafety Levels
> Principles of Biosafety
> Routes of Exposure
> Laboratory Practice and Technique
> Safety Equipment
> Decontamination
> OSHA Bloodborne Pathogen Standard
> Tissue Culture/Cell Line
> Select Agents
> Shipping of Biological Materials
> Regulated Medical Waste Disposal
> Training
> Standard Operating Procedures
> Personal Contamination
> Medical Consultation
> Biohazard Spill Clean up Procedures
> Fire and Fire Related Emergencies
Appendicies
> A. List of Biological Organisms
> B. Signature and Acknowledgement of Risk
> C. Standard Operating Procedure Template
> D. Spill Questionnaire
NYU EH&S is responsible for assisting the NYU community in implementing university workplace environment, health and safety policies while complying with applicable federal, state, and local regulations and guidelines. This manual is designed to be a template for laboratories to personalize to their own needs.
NYU's Bloodborne Pathogens (BBP) Exposure Control Program (PDF) applies to all NYU employees, or individuals, such as NYU students or volunteers, who perform functions of employees, who could potentially be expected to come into contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials (OPIM) including, but not limited to, unfixed human tissues, blood and tissues of experimental animals, saliva in dental procedures, or regulated medical waste.
NYU's BBP Exposure Control Program was developed to address and mitigate any potential exposure and provides details about the types of pahtogens that can be transmitted in blood and the precautions that should be taken to prevent exposure. The program also details the actions that should and will be taken in the unfortunate event of an exposure.
In addition to the Exposure Control Program, NYU conducts Bloodborne Pathogens Training annually for those covered by the program.
Biosafety Level 1 (BSL-1)
Biosafety Level 1 is suitable for work involving well-characterized agents not known to consistently cause disease in healthy adult humans, and of minimal potential hazard to laboratory personnel and the environment. The laboratory is not necessarily separated from the general traffic patterns in the building. Work is generally conducted on open bench tops using standard microbiological practices. Special containment equipment or facility design is neither required nor generally used. Laboratory personnel have specific training in the procedures conducted in the laboratory and are supervised by a scientist with general training in microbiology or a related science.
Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2)
Biosafety Level 2 is similar to Biosafety Level 1 and is suitable for work involving agents of moderate potential hazard to personnel and the environment. It differs from BSL-1 in that (1) laboratory personnel have specific training in handling pathogenic agents and are directed by competent scientists; (2) access to the laboratory is limited when work is being conducted; (3) extreme precautions are taken with contaminated sharp items; and (4) certain procedures in which infectious aerosols or splashes may be created are conducted in biological safety cabinets or other physical containment equipment
Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3)
Biosafety Level 3 is applicable to clinical, diagnostic, teaching, research, or production facilities in which work is done with indigenous or exotic agents which may cause serious or potentially lethal disease as a result of exposure by the inhalation route. Laboratory personnel have specific training in handling pathogenic and potentially lethal agents, and are supervised by competent scientists who are experienced in working with these agents.
Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4)
Biosafety Level 4 is required for work with dangerous and exotic agents that pose a high individual risk of aerosol-transmitted laboratory infections and life-threatening disease. Agents with a close or identical antigenic relationship to Biosafety Level 4 agents are handled at this level until sufficient data are obtained either to confirm continued work at this level, or to work with them at a lower level. Members of the laboratory staff have specific and thorough training in handling extremely hazardous infectious agents and they understand the primary and secondary containment functions of the standard and special practices, the containment equipment, and the laboratory design characteristics. They are supervised by competent scientists who are trained and experienced in working with these agents. Access to the laboratory is strictly controlled by the laboratory director. The facility is either in a separate building or in a controlled area within a building, which is completely isolated from all other areas of the building. A specific facility operations manual is prepared or adopted.
All research that involves recombinant DNA must be conducted in accordance with the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules.
All non-exempt rDNA research must be approved by the University's Institutional
Biosafety Committee.
> IBC's
Policies and Procedures for Work with rDNA
> Recombinant
DNA Registration Form & Instructions (PDF)
The Department of Health and Human Services and the US Department of Agriculture have listed certain biological agents and toxins which are considered to pose a threat to public health and could possibly be used as bioterrorism agents. These biological agents and toxins, more often referred to as "Select Agents", are heavily regulated and any possession or research use of such materials must be registered with the DHHS or USDA. Click here (PDF) for a detailed list of these regulated materials.
For further information on the regulations governing these materials
go to the following sites:
> CDC Select
Agent Program
> Agricultural
Bioterrorism Protection Act of 2002
Shipping and Receiving Biological Materials
Anyone shipping or receiving potentially hazardous materials such as: infectious substances, diagnostic specimens, genetically modified microorganisms, potentially hazardous biological materials, and/or dry ice, is required to have International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Department of Transportation (DOT) training in the general requirements of the regulations. This training must to be repeated every two years as long as you are shipping and receiving such materials.
Environmental Services has prepared a Study Guide (PDF) that covers the requirements for shipping and receiving biological materials such as: infectious substances, diagnostic specimens, genetically modified microorganisms, potentially hazardous biological materials and dry ice. It will also provide instructions on how to properly transport these materials as required by 49 CFR 172 Subpart H, and section 1.5 of the 2005 IATA Dangerous Goods Requirements. There is a Post-Test (PDF) accompanying this guide that must be returned to Environmental Health & Safety once completed.
The University of New Hampshire has developed a Guide to Shipping with Dry Ice. This guide can be found here.
If you need to transport non-biological hazardous materials please contact Environmental Health & Safety for instructions.