NIH Safety Stand Down Response
[From VPR Office]
As a result of recent lapses in biosafety practices at Federal laboratories, the Federal Government has issued a “Safety Stand-Down” for federal facilities to ensure safety of laboratory researchers and the American public. The University of Kentucky as a recipient of Federal research funding is encouraged to conduct similar reviews.
As part of this effort, NIH and other agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services are initiating September as National Biosafety Stewardship Month. While UK already has a robust biosafety program and Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC), excellence in safety requires ongoing vigilance and I welcome this as an opportunity for us to evaluate and improve on our current efforts. As part of National Biosafety Stewardship Month I am asking Principal Investigators to take the time to:
- Inventory your agents and toxins and ensure any research involving those materials has been registered with our IBC. Notify Brandy Nelson in the Department of Biological Safety at 859-550-0333 immediately if you identify any select agents or toxins that have not been previously registered. Submit an amendment to your IBC registration to cover any materials identified that are not currently registered. If unlabeled or unknown materials are discovered they should be inactivated and discarded.
- Reexamine your laboratory safety procedures to ensure that biosafety practices are appropriate and are being followed by all personnel under your supervision, that you have clear roles and responsibilities for safety within your laboratory, and that you have created an environment in which people are comfortable and willing to ask questions or raise safety concerns if they arise. Developing a culture in your laboratory in which safety is a priority will help prevent exposures and other incidents.
- Ensure your laboratory specific training is specific to all hazards and procedures.
In conjunction with your efforts, the Department of Biological Safety is reviewing current biosafety programs to identify opportunities for improving biosafety at UK.
The Department of Biological Safety is available to provide support and answer any questions. I encourage you to reach out to them for assistance and to consider them an extension of your research group.
Links for additional information:
Department of Biological Safety:
White House memo:
http://www.absa.org/pdf/140819WhitehouseMemoEnhancingBiosafetyandBiosecurity.pdf
Notice of National Biosafety Stewardship Month:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-14-127.html
HHS and USDA Select Agents and Toxins:
http://www.selectagents.gov/Select%20Agents%20and%20Toxins%20List.html