Biological Hazards

1. POLICY

1.1 Policy Statement

The University will adopt measures to ensure that work involving biologically hazardous materials meets all the relevant health and safety requirements to be made as safe as possible.

1.2 Policy Objectives

2. GUIDELINES

2.1 General Principles

All procedures involving micro-organisms pose special safety problems in addition to those encountered in other laboratories. Consequently, the conditions for handling micro-organisms and the supervision required for unskilled workers are more rigorous than in other laboratories. Complete details of the microbiological aspects of laboratory safety are given in Australian Standard AS2243.3-1991 Safety in Laboratories Part 3 - Microbiology.

2.2 Supervision of Untrained Personnel

2.3 Biological Safety Cabinets and Laminar Flow Clean Air Benches

Clean work stations, such as biological safety cabinets and laminar flow clean air benches for product and/or user protection, must be used. These types of equipment have different purposes and it is essential that laboratory staff are aware of the difference.

2.4 Prevention of Contamination

Prevention of cross-contamination with adventitious micro-organisms is important as such contamination may nullify experimental procedures and lead to erroneous results. Such a situation may result in the incorrect reporting of specimens sent for analysis. To reduce the possibility of contamination, the following points should be noted.

2.5 Decontamination

Wherever possible, decontamination must be achieved by sterilisation in an autoclave (steam under pressure). Where this is not possible or practicable, suitable disinfectants in the correct concentration must be used.

2.6 Recombinant DNA

2.7 Disposal of Radioactive Research Waste

The disposal of radioactive research waste is subject to the Radiation Safety Act 1975 and attendant Regulations. Therefore, such disposal must be conducted in accordance with the requirements laid down in the following.

2.8 Disposal of Infectious Waste

The disposal of infectious waste must be conducted in accordance with the Disposal of Hazardous Medical Waste policy and procedures contained in the Occupational Health and Safety Policies and Procedures manual.

2.9 Safety in Animal Houses

Work involving animals must be conducted in accordance with the Safety in Animal Houses policy and procedures contained in the Occupational Health and Safety Policies and Procedures manual.

2.10 Carcinogenic or Highly Toxic Chemicals

The use and disposal of carcinogenic or other highly toxic chemicals must be conducted in accordance with the National Health and Medical Research Council's Guidelines for Laboratory Personnel Working with Carcinogenic or Highly Toxic Chemicals.

2.11 Responsibility of Heads of School

Heads of School will be responsible for the implementation of the University's policy on Biological Hazards within their Schools.

2.12 Biosafety Committee

2.13 Related Legislation, Policies, and Information

Western Australian Government Legislation - Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984 - Radiation Safety Act 1975

Western Australian Government Regulations - Radiation Safety (General) Regulations (1983)

Health Department of Western Australia - Code of Practice for the Disposal of Radioactive Wastes Arising From Medical and Research Use in Western Australia

Genetic Manipulation Advisory Committee (Commonwealth Department of Administrative Services) - Guidelines for Small Scale Genetic Manipulation Work (January 1993)

National Health and Medical Research Council - Guidelines for Laboratory Personnel Working with Carcinogenic or Highly Toxic Chemicals - Code of Practice for the Disposal of Radioactive Wastes by the User (1985)

Standards Australia - Australian Standard AS2243.3-1991 "Safety in Laboratories Part 3 - Microbiology"

Occupational Health and Safety Policy and Procedures manual (to be published) - Disposal of Hazardous Medical Waste, Personal Protective Equipment, Radiation Safety, Safety in Animal Houses, Safety in Laboratories

2.14 Responsible Officer

The Director, Workplace Relations is the responsible officer for the control and administration of the University's policy on Biological Hazards.

2.15 Authority for Approving Amendments to the Policy and Guidelines on Biological Hazards

The Academic Senate is the authority for approving amendments to the University's policy and guidelines on Biological Hazards.

2.16 Effective Date

The policy on Biological Hazards came into effect immediately upon being approved by Council, being 27 November 1996.

2.17 Review of Policy

The policy on Biological Hazards will be reviewed every two years by the Director, Workplace Relations, the Occupational Safety and Health Policy Committee and the Biosafety Committee, and the outcome of the review will be reported to the Academic Senate.

3. ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES

3.1 Authority for Approving Amendments to the Administrative Procedures on Biological Hazards

The Occupational Safety and Health Policy Committee and the Biosafety Committee are the authority for approving amendments to the administrative procedures of the University's policy on Biological Hazards.

REVISION HISTORY

Amended - URB 95/00 (5/12/00, effective 1/1/01 - change in approval authority (titles also updated where necessary).

EduSafe Policies @ Curtin

BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS


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	EduSafe Policies @ Curtin BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS 1. POLICY 1.1 Policy Statement The University will adopt measures to ensure that work involving biologically hazardous materials meets all the relevant health and safety requirements to be made as safe as possible. 1.2 Policy Objectives 1.2.1 To safeguard the health and safety of staff, students and visitors in line with the University's policy on Occupational Health and Safety. 1.2.2 To meet the University's obligations under the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984, the Radiation Safety Act 1975, the Australian Universities Academic Staff (Contract of Employment and Other Matters) Interim Award 1988, the Australian Universities Academic Staff (Conditions of Employment) Award 1988, the Curtin University of Technology Agreement on Enterprise Bargaining (Academic Staff) 1997, and the Curtin University of Technology General Staff Enterprise Agreement 1997, and as amended from time to time. 2. GUIDELINES 2.1 General Principles All procedures involving micro-organisms pose special safety problems in addition to those encountered in other laboratories. Consequently, the conditions for handling micro-organisms and the supervision required for unskilled workers are more rigorous than in other laboratories. Complete details of the microbiological aspects of laboratory safety are given in Australian Standard AS2243.3-1991 Safety in Laboratories Part 3 - Microbiology. 2.1.1 Microbiological Hazards Microbiological hazards are particularly insidious because of the microscopic size of the organisms and because they cannot be detected by instruments as is the case for dangerous substances such as radiation. Pathogens must be handled with great care to avoid infection, not only of the person working with them but also of other laboratory staff, the general public or animals outside the laboratory. The safest procedure is to regard all micro-organisms as potential pathogens and treat them accordingly. Medical, veterinary, food and environmental samples may also contain infectious organisms and therefore must be treated in the same way as material which is known to be infectious. Infection can result from inhalation, skin penetration, ingestion or infection of orifices such as eyes. 2.1.2 Precautions in Highly Infectious Situations In highly infectious situations, extra precautions are required. Disposable gloves must be worn. Hands must be disinfected after removing gloves in case any perforation of the gloves has permitted the entry of micro-organisms. Work with highly infectious substances must only be performed in areas provided with wash basins equipped with elbow or foot operated taps. An emergency shower must be readily accessible. All work should be carried out in biosafety cabinets. Where the work poses an extreme risk, use of biosafety cabinets is mandatory. 2.1.3 Protection of Cuts and Abrasions Cuts and abrasions are susceptible to infection by micro-organisms and must be protected. Before commencing work, any cuts or abrasions must be covered with a waterproof dressing. If the cut or abrasion is on the hand, a glove must be worn in addition to the waterproof dressing. Any cuts or abrasions which occur while working in an infectious area must be immediately treated with a suitable antiseptic (a disinfectant suitable for application to the skin) and reported to the Laboratory Manager. Any infections of a wound or to the alimentary or respiratory tract which may have resulted from the handling of an infectious substance must be reported to the Laboratory Manager immediately and medical advice sought. 2.2 Supervision of Untrained Personnel Staff and students who have little or no microbiological training must be adequately supervised and must not be exposed to situations in which they may not appreciate the potential hazards. Non-laboratory workers such as cleaners and trades persons must be given special instructions if they are to come into contact with microbiological hazards or materials. Work involving the use of micro-organisms or the handling of samples which may potentially contain micro-organisms must only be performed in areas designated for the use of infectious materials. No one is to work in a microbiological environment without a sound knowledge of the recommended practices and procedures. 2.3 Biological Safety Cabinets and Laminar Flow Clean Air Benches Clean work stations, such as biological safety cabinets and laminar flow clean air benches for product and/or user protection, must be used. These types of equipment have different purposes and it is essential that laboratory staff are aware of the difference. 2.3.1 Laminar Flow Clean Air Benches Laminar flow clean air benches protect the work from contamination. They do not protect the worker. The air passes unfiltered onto the worker and into the laboratory. Laminar flow clean air benches must not be used when handling pathogenic materials as any aerosols formed will be directed at the worker. 2.3.2 Biological Safety Cabinets Any procedure which is likely to produce infectious aerosols, such as blenders, shakers and sonicators involving highly infectious organisms must be handled in a biosafety cabinet in which highly contaminated air is passed through a High Efficiency Particulate Air filter. There are three classes of biological safety cabinet. Class I - inward flow of air away from the operator. The air is passed through a HEPA filter before being discharged from the cabinet. Class II - an air barrier protects the operator and a flow of filtered air is passed over the work to prevent it becoming contaminated. The air is passed through a HEPA filter before being discharged from the cabinet. Class III - completely enclosed unit with built-in air locks for introducing and removing materials. Both incoming and outgoing air passes through HEPA filters. Class I and Class II cabinets are completely free standing and must not be directly connected to ducting which has outside vents as wind may interfere with operator protection. Class III cabinets are intended for use with highly hazardous micro-organisms. 2.4 Prevention of Contamination Prevention of cross-contamination with adventitious micro-organisms is important as such contamination may nullify experimental procedures and lead to erroneous results. Such a situation may result in the incorrect reporting of specimens sent for analysis. To reduce the possibility of contamination, the following points should be noted. An area used for handling micro-organisms or material likely to contain micro-organisms must display the standard biological warning symbol and a sign stating "INFECTIOUS SUBSTANCE". Separate areas must be set aside for the following. Preparation of media Holding of materials Sterilisation Storage of sterile articles Collection of specimens from patients Receipt of samples - spill trays must be provided Animal rooms must be segregated from laboratories and must contain separate areas for infected animals, non-infected animals and post-mortems. Protective clothing must be worn in microbiological laboratories and gowns or coats removed before leaving the laboratory for common rooms, office areas or for home. The area designated for infectious substances must have hand washing facilities provided with a suitable hand disinfectant. On completion of their work, and before leaving the area, all personnel must wash their hands with the disinfectants provided. 2.5 Decontamination Wherever possible, decontamination must be achieved by sterilisation in an autoclave (steam under pressure). Where this is not possible or practicable, suitable disinfectants in the correct concentration must be used. 2.5.1 Sterilisation Two types of equipment used for sterilisation are the autoclave and the hot air oven. The same precautions and conditions apply to both types of equipment and are as follows. Only properly trained staff must use autoclaves and care must be taken to ensure the load reaches the required temperature and remains at that temperature for the prescribed length of time. Autoclaves must be fitted with temperature and pressure gauges and a chart recorder. A temperature-sensitive chemical indicator such as autoclave tape must be used with every load. Monthly checks of sterilising efficiency must be carried out using spore strips. Times for sterilisation must be determined according to the load. Minimum sterilisation times after the required temperature has been attained are as follows. Autoclave 15 minutes at 121 degrees Celsius 3 minutes at 134 degrees Celsius Hot air oven 60 minutes at 160 degrees Celsius 20 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius 2.5.2 Disinfectants Disinfectants should only be used where sterilisation is not possible, such as large spaces or surfaces and delicate instruments. Disinfectants must be chosen for their effectiveness to deal with the specific type of micro-organism and must be used at the correct concentrations. The main uses for disinfectants are as follows. Decontaminating surfaces and equipment Washing re-usable items Wiping down benches and work surfaces at the end of the day Regular cleaning of equipment, such as water baths, incubators, centrifuges, freezers and refrigerators Commonly used disinfectants include the following. 70 per cent ethanol volume for volume aqueous solution Chlorine as hypochlorite solution Iodophores - aqueous or alcoholic providone - iodine Phenolic disinfectants such as Medol Chlorhexidine - aqueous or alcoholic 2.6 Recombinant DNA 2.6.1 Approval to Conduct Experiments Involving Recombinant DNA Researchers who wish to carry out experiments which involve recombinant DNA techniques for the production of material incorporating recombinant DNA molecules not likely to occur in nature must submit a detailed proposal to the University's Biosafety Committee (see section 2.10 below) for approval. The Biosafety Committee is directly responsible to the Genetic Manipulation Advisory Committee in the Commonwealth Department of Administrative Services. 2.6.2 Genetic Manipulation Advisory Committee Guidelines and Containment Requirements Guidelines for work with recombinant DNA have been produced to eliminate any possible occupational health, public health or environmental hazard which may be associated with these techniques. The safety of recombinant DNA work ultimately depends on the individuals conducting it. The details of the procedures for working with recombinant DNA are in Appendices 5.8 to 5.21 of the Genetic Manipulation Advisory Committee's publication, Guidelines for Small Scale Genetic Manipulation Work. The Biosafety Committee is responsible for the surveillance and monitoring of all recombinant DNA work conducted within the University. This work includes work with micro-organisms, animals and plants. There are prescribed containment levels for each of these and the details of the containment levels required for each category of work are in Appendices 5.8 to 5.21 of the Genetic Manipulation Advisory Committee's publication, Guidelines for Small Scale Genetic Manipulation Work. 2.6.3 Levels of Containment The Genetic Manipulation Advisory Committee has classified three levels of physical containment for laboratory work involving recombinant DNA. Each classification is dependent on the nature of work. The levels are referred to as C1, C2 and C3. The highest level of containment is C3. The Fire Brigade may be called to fires involving a C1 or C2 laboratory. For emergencies involving facilities with a C3 containment classification, procedures should be agreed to with the Fire Brigade in advance. 2.7 Disposal of Radioactive Research Waste The disposal of radioactive research waste is subject to the Radiation Safety Act 1975 and attendant Regulations. Therefore, such disposal must be conducted in accordance with the requirements laid down in the following. Radiation Safety (General) Regulations (1983) Code of Practice for the Disposal of Radioactive Wastes Arising From Medical and Research Use in Western Australia, published by the Health Department of Western Australia Code of Practice for the Disposal of Radioactive Wastes by the User (1985), published by the National Health and Medical Research Council Radiation Safety policy and procedures formulated by Curtin University of Technology 2.8 Disposal of Infectious Waste The disposal of infectious waste must be conducted in accordance with the Disposal of Hazardous Medical Waste policy and procedures contained in the Occupational Health and Safety Policies and Procedures manual. 2.9 Safety in Animal Houses Work involving animals must be conducted in accordance with the Safety in Animal Houses policy and procedures contained in the Occupational Health and Safety Policies and Procedures manual. 2.10 Carcinogenic or Highly Toxic Chemicals The use and disposal of carcinogenic or other highly toxic chemicals must be conducted in accordance with the National Health and Medical Research Council's Guidelines for Laboratory Personnel Working with Carcinogenic or Highly Toxic Chemicals. 2.11 Responsibility of Heads of School Heads of School will be responsible for the implementation of the University's policy on Biological Hazards within their Schools. 2.12 Biosafety Committee 2.12.1 The University will establish a Biosafety Committee which will be a sub-committee of the Occupational Safety and Health Policy Committee, which is advisory to the Executive General Manager, University Resources through the General Manager, Student and Staff Services. 2.12.2 In matters relating to recombinant DNA, the Biosafety Committee will be directly responsible to the Genetic Manipulation Advisory Committee in the Commonwealth Department of Administrative Services. 2.12.3 The functions and duties of the Biosafety Committee in relation to recombinant DNA are detailed in section 3.3 "Institutional Biosafety Committees (IBCs)" of the GMAC publication Guidelines for Small Scale Genetic Manipulation Work. 2.13 Related Legislation, Policies, and Information Western Australian Government Legislation - Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984 - Radiation Safety Act 1975 Western Australian Government Regulations - Radiation Safety (General) Regulations (1983) Health Department of Western Australia - Code of Practice for the Disposal of Radioactive Wastes Arising From Medical and Research Use in Western Australia Genetic Manipulation Advisory Committee (Commonwealth Department of Administrative Services) - Guidelines for Small Scale Genetic Manipulation Work (January 1993) National Health and Medical Research Council - Guidelines for Laboratory Personnel Working with Carcinogenic or Highly Toxic Chemicals - Code of Practice for the Disposal of Radioactive Wastes by the User (1985) Standards Australia - Australian Standard AS2243.3-1991 "Safety in Laboratories Part 3 - Microbiology" Curtin - General Policies and Procedures manual - "Biosafety Committee" Occupational Health and Safety Policy and Procedures manual (to be published) - Disposal of Hazardous Medical Waste, Personal Protective Equipment, Radiation Safety, Safety in Animal Houses, Safety in Laboratories 2.14 Responsible Officer The Director, Workplace Relations is the responsible officer for the control and administration of the University's policy on Biological Hazards. 2.15 Authority for Approving Amendments to the Policy and Guidelines on Biological Hazards The Academic Senate is the authority for approving amendments to the University's policy and guidelines on Biological Hazards. 2.15.1 Endorsement of Proposed Amendments by Occupational Safety and Health Policy Committee Any proposed amendments to this policy should be endorsed by the Occupational Safety and Health Policy Committee and the Biosafety Committee with consultation and agreement from the Health and Safety Representatives committees prior to presentation to the Academic Senate for approval. 2.15.2 Inclusion of Policy Statement in Policy Manual Once approved by the Academic Senate, the policy statement on Biological Hazards will be included in the Occupational Health and Safety Policy and Procedures manual. 2.16 Effective Date The policy on Biological Hazards came into effect immediately upon being approved by Council, being 27 November 1996. 2.17 Review of Policy The policy on Biological Hazards will be reviewed every two years by the Director, Workplace Relations, the Occupational Safety and Health Policy Committee and the Biosafety Committee, and the outcome of the review will be reported to the Academic Senate. 3. ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES 3.1 Authority for Approving Amendments to the Administrative Procedures on Biological Hazards The Occupational Safety and Health Policy Committee and the Biosafety Committee are the authority for approving amendments to the administrative procedures of the University's policy on Biological Hazards. REVISION HISTORY Amended - URB 95/00 (5/12/00, effective 1/1/01 - change in approval authority (titles also updated where necessary). Approved - C 264/96 (27/11/96) - Appendix 8 to Council minutes
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