Biosafety Manual

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The biosafety manual for Oregon State University has been adopted to accomplish the following goals:

• protect personnel from exposure to infectious agents
• prevent environmental contamination
• provide an environment for high quality research while maintaining a safe work place
• comply with applicable federal, state and local requirements

The biosafety manual provides university-wide safety guidelines, policies and procedures for the use and manipulation of biohazards. Although the implementation of these procedures is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator (PI), its success depends largely on the combined efforts of laboratory supervisors and employees. Planning for and implementation of biological safety must be part of every laboratory activity in which biohazardous materials are used. In general, the handling and manipulation of biological agents and toxins, as well as recombinant DNA molecules, requires the use of various precautionary measures depending on the materials involved. This manual will provide assistance in the evaluation, containment and control of biohazards. However, it is imperative that all parties involved or working with these materials seek additional advice and training when necessary. Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) as well as the University Biological Safety Committee are available at OSU to assist in this endeavor.