Biological Safety
Texas Christian University is actively committed to preserving the health and safety
of its students, staff, and faculty and to protecting the environment and surrounding
community. TCU Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) provides guidance regarding the
assessment, containment, and security of biological materials that complement the
institutional operating policies which support compliance with the guidelines, recommendations,
and regulations applicable to such work.
Biological safety begins with providing lab-specific training regarding occupational
risks associated with the research materials and procedures. Each Principal Investigator
(PI) should determine the safety requirements for their staff through consideration
of the types of organisms handled and procedures performed in their laboratory. TCU
has developed program material and training courses in several areas that will assist
PIs in fulfilling the needs of their laboratories, in addition to meeting the requirements
set forth by regulating agencies. Currently, the highest level of research authorized
at TCU is BSL-2.
The Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) is the institutional body responsible for oversight of activities involving biohazardous agents and recombinant and synthetic nucleic acid molecules that require approval for "biosafety activities" as described in the current regulatory requirements. EHS also assists researchers with biosafety training and managing biological waste disposal. More details on biological and biomedical research, TCU's IBC, and related policies and procedures are available on the Office of Research Biosafety website.
Resources
Institutional Biosafety Committee
NIH rDNA Guidelines
Center for Disease Controls (CDC) - Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories