The Biological Safety Program oversees all University of Alabama research involving biohazardous materials, recombinant DNA/RNA, and synthetic nucleic acids.
The Biological Safety Program works closely with the Institutional Biosafety Committee, the Institutional Review Board, and the IACUC to ensure that UA researchers using these biological materials have the necessary approval and employ appropriate safety measures. The Biosafety Officer has an extensive research background and is a voting member of the IBC. Environmental Health and Safety also works closely with OREC to provide guidance on all matters related to biosafety, biosecurity, and compliance.
Environmental Health and Safety’s goal is to mitigate risks in laboratory research settings in compliance with federal regulations and guidelines. The University of Alabama reviews the use of Risk Groups 1 & 2 biohazardous materials. Contact the Biosafety Officer before proposing any research involving Risk Group 3 organisms or biohazards. The University reserves the right to impose additional terms and conditions on investigators who conduct research on or engage in teaching activities that involve microorganisms harmful to humans, animals, or the environment.
InfoIMPORTANT UPDATE
The NIH Office of Science Policy has issued an amended version of the NIH Guidelines (2024). Revisions include Gene Drive Modified Organisms (GDMO) and associated risk assessments. These changes went into effect on September 30, 2024.
The 2024 Annual Inventory/Self-Audit Campaign is now CLOSED. Thank you to all the researchers who responded to this call for documentation.
NOTE: Researchers who have failed to respond in the allotted time will be subject to an UNNANNOUNCED lab inspection.