Biological Safety
The Office of Research Safety puts a high priority on supporting research in the life sciences. This support includes ensuring that the research labs maintain a safe working environment and follow all the applicable standards, regulations and guidelines. The Biological Safety Officer (BSO), Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC), Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), the Occupational Safety Nurse and the Hazardous Waste Officer combine their efforts to attain these goals to the highest degree possible.
There are many organizations that have standards, regulations or guidelines that pertain to work with biological agents. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) has standards that govern workplace safety including the Bloodborne Pathogen Standard that requires universal precautions. The National Institute of Health (NIH) publishes guidelines that govern certain types of biological research, most importantly the use of recombinant DNA. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes guidelines to be used to promote safe work in all biological research labs. The Department of Transportation (DOT) / International Air Transport Association (IATA) has regulations that govern the shipping of biological materials.
All of the requirements for biological labs at Clemson University are covered in the Biosafety Manual (BSM) available here: BIOSAFETY MANUAL (pdf).
The use of CDC/USDA Select Agents (use of select agents requires the approval of the BSO, RO and the IBC. The current list of CDC/USDA Select Agents is available at: http://www.selectagents.gov/Select%20Agents%20and%20Toxins%20List.html
The Office of Research Safety currently provides free biohazardous waste and sharps collection containers, plus free disposal. For assistance with disposal of biohazardous wastes, contact the Hazardous Waste Officer at 864-656-1770 or use this form.
Please use the following Avery 513 mailing labels for biowaste pickups:
Bio-Hazard Waste Labels Non-Infectious Bio-Hazard Waste Labels
Lab closeout policy (word format) or Appendix C (checklist and signature form) Only
LAB DOOR SIGNS:
Instructions for creating your custom sign using acrobat reader.
There are several different sizes of sign templates, please choose the one that matches the holder on your door.
11 x 8.5 landscape 10 x 6 landscape 8.5 x 11 portrait 7.5 x 9.5 portrait
Contact the Biosafety Officer with any questions.