The following is an outline of safety procedures that can be used for the Infectious Agent Registration Form and the Recombinant DNA Registration Form.

1. Access to the laboratory is limited or restricted at the discretion of the laboratory director when experiments or work with cultures and specimens are in progress.
2. Persons wash their hands after they handle viable materials, after removing gloves, and before leaving the laboratory.
3. Eating, drinking, smoking, handling contact lenses, applying cosmetics, and storing food for human use are not permitted in the work areas. Persons who wear contact lenses in laboratories should also wear goggles or a face shield. Food is stored outside the work area in cabinets or refrigerators designated and used for this purpose only.
4. Mouth pipetting is prohibited; mechanical pipetting devices are used.
5. Policies for the safe handling of sharps are instituted.
6. All procedures are performed carefully to minimize the creation of splashes or aerosols.
7. Work surfaces are decontaminated at least once a day and after any spill of viable material.
8. All cultures, stocks, and other regulated wastes are decontaminated before disposal by an approved decontamination method such as autoclaving. Materials to be decontaminated outside of the immediate laboratory are packaged in accordance with applicable local, state, and federal regulations before removal from the facility.
9. A biohazard sign must be posted at the entrance to the laboratory whenever infectious agents are present. The sign must include the name of the agent(s) in use and the name and phone number of the investigator.

Environmental Management | Biosafety Office