BIOLOGICAL SAFETY

The Safety & Health office is responsible for ensuring that Marshall University remains in compliance with federal and state regulations for the storage and disposal of potentially infectious wastes. 

Biotechnology research is overseen by the Marshall University Institutional Biosafety Committee.  The IBC has established biosafety policies, procedures, and training.

The Robert C. Byrd Biotechnology Science Center maintains an Infectious Waste Management Plan that outlines how these potentially infectious items must be collected, transported, treated, and disposed of in order to ensure the safety and health of the University's visitors, students, faculty and staff.

There are several general requirements to keep in mind when working with biological materials:

• Remove gloves when exiting laboratory areas.  Contaminated gloves are a concern to others working in the building, please be considerate of others and remove gloves every time. 

• The use of carts to transport biological materials is preferred, and is mandatory when transporting liquids.  Carts should have trays to provide secondary containment in the case of a spill.

• When a cart is not available and biological materials must be carried, remember to use the "one glove" technique.  This will enable you to open door handles and push elevator buttons without a gloved hand.

• When collecting biologically contaminated liquids, ensure that the container used to collect the liquid is in a tray that provides secondary containment, and that it is labeled as to the hazard present (biohazard sticker).

• Biohazard waste must be collected in two, orange, autoclave bags; sharps boxes; or double autoclave-bagged broken glass boxes that have a biohazard label/sticker.

• Pipettes must be collected in a separate container that allows all pipettes to be oriented in the same direction to prevent protrusion.  The container must be double orange-bagged.  Note: Pasteur-type pipettes must be collected in an appropriately labeled broken glass box.

• Uncontaminated glass must be collected in an appropriately labeled broken glass box.  If a regular box is used, it must be labeled as uncontaminated broken glass.

Related Links:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

  • Office of Health and Safety

    • Biosafety

• US Department of Health and Human Services

  • National Institutes of Health

    • Division of Occupational Health and Safety

      • Biological and Chemical Safety

• WV DHHR - Infectious Medical Waste Program

GO BACK TO THE SAFETY AND HEALTH HOMEPAGE

Problems with this page?  Contact Nathan Douglas, 304.696.3461.