Policies and Procedures

The primary mission of the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) at Michigan Technological University is to support the safety of faculty, staff, students, community members,and the environment, by ensuring that all experiments involving biological materials are conducted in full compliance with local, state, and federal regulations and guidelines. Specifically the IBC works to ensure that researchers comply with  the NIH guidelines for research involving recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules, including the creation and use of organisms and viruses containing recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules. Additionally, the IBC ensures that research with hazardous/infectious biological materials complies with the best practices recommended by the Centers of Disease Control’s publication Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL)

Per NIH requirements, the IBC maintains a minimum of five members. Two of these members are unaffiliated with the University and represent the community and its interests. Additional members of the committee bring expertise in plant, animal, and recombinant and synthetic nucleic acids research. Collectively, members of the committee have the expertise needed to identify and mitigate potential risks associated with research involving recombinant and synthetic nucleic acids, and infectious or potentially infectious biological organisms and materials.

IBC responsibilities include:

• Review of all research that is conducted at or sponsored by the University that is subject to the NIH Guidelines for research involving recombinant and synthetic nucleic acid molecules as well as biological research requiring containment at biosafety level 2 BSL-2. This review will include:
  • Independent assessment of the risks associated with the research and verification of containment levels assigned by the PI.
  • Assessment of facilities, equipment, procedures, practices, training and all other elements associated with the research.
  • Notification of the Principal Investigator of the committee’s actions.
• Periodic review of recombinant DNA and biological research.
• Adopt emergency plans for accidental spills, personnel contamination, loss of containment and research related illnesses.
• Keep a record of meetings, providing sufficient detail to serve as a record of major points of discussion and the committee’s rationale for particular decisions, documenting that the IBC has fulfilled its review and oversight responsibilities.
• Reports any significant problems or violations of NIH guidelines and any significant research related accident or illness to NIH/OBA.
• File an annual report with the NIH.

Formal review by the University’s Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) is required for research involving organisms and materials that are managed at biosafety level 2 and for nucleic acid research that is subject to the NIH guidelines. Detailed instructions for protocol submission, modifications, renewals, and incident reporting is available at Protocol Submission (eIBC).

Incident reports include sufficient information to allow for an understanding of the nature and consequences of the incident, as well as its cause. A detailed report also includes the measures taken in response to mitigate the problem and to preclude its reoccurrence. 

The IBC convenes meetings as needed to review and approve protocols as they are received.  Members are expected to attend all meetings.  A quorum to be a simple majority (>50%) of voting members as well has the necessary expertise to conduct appropriate review. At least one unaffiliated member should be present.

Michigan Tech’s Laboratory Biosafety Manual describes the following information:

• Responsibilities of stakeholders
• General laboratory access, signage, and training information
• Biological Safety Cabinet (BSC) information
• Biosafety level Descriptions
• Disposal of Biological and Medical Waste Procedures
• Incident Response Procedures
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Descriptions

The following guidelines apply to situations where contact with blood and other potentially infectious materials is reasonably expected:

• Exposure Control Plan for Bloodborne Infectious Diseases
• Cleaning and Disinfecting Surfaces Contaminated with Blood

• Solid Waste including culture plates, flasks and other disposable materials containing or contaminated with regulated waste materials such gloves, or materials used for cleaning/absorbing spills of blood or other biological liquids shall be collected in a durable leak proof container.  The container shall be prominently labeled for biohazardous waste collection ,equipped with a lid to minimize exposure to discarded waste material and must be lined with clear autoclavable bag. DO NOT collect regulated/biological waste in orange or red colored biohazard bags, bags that are printed with the biohazard symbol and/or labeled for biohazardous waste.  Do not overfill or compact waste in the container. When the container is approximately 3/4 full, loosely gather the top of the autoclavable liner into the container and close the lid for safe transport to an autoclave.  At the autoclave, remove the bag from the bucket and place it into an autoclavable secondary container such as a Nalgene tray. Add about 250ml of water to the bag. This will facilitate the generation of steam within the bag necessary for decontamination of the waste. Before loading into the autoclave, place a chemical sterilization indicator into the bag so that it is located near the middle of the load, and then loosely secure the top of the bag with autoclave tape. Do Not seal the bag. For effective sterilization to occur it is critical that air and steam are able to move freely into and out of the bag during the autoclave cycle. Biological waste should be processed for a minimum of 60 minutes. After autoclaving, remove the chemical indicator from the bag and verify that conditions during the run were adequate for sterilization. Adequately processed waste may be discarded into the regular waste stream as non-hazardous waste. 
• Liquid Waste generated in the laboratory such as spent culture media must be decontaminated either by chemical treatment or autoclaving prior to being discarded into the sanitary sewer. Chemical treatment is recommended since it allows for treatment of waste in the laboratory and thereby reduces the potential for spills or exposures during transport to the autoclave. For chemical decontamination of liquid biological waste using bleach: add household bleach (at least 5% sodium hypochlorite) to the container of liquid waste so that the final volume of the solution is 10% bleach. Mix gently and allow a minimum of 30 minutes contact time before discarding into the sanitary sewer. Longer contact times may be required for some infectious agents.
• Sharps are defined as needles, syringes, and scalpels according to Michigan’s Medical Waste Act. At Michigan Tech, the definition of sharps may be expanded to include glass microscope slides, Pasteur pipettes, microtome blades, capillary tubes and any other items that are contaminated with infectious or potentially infectious biological materials and are capable of causing puncture wounds or lacerations if handled improperly.

Guidelines for disposal of sharps:

• • Never discard needles or other disposable sharp instruments into the regular trash or into bags containing hazardous waste. 
  • Immediately discard all used sharps directly into puncture-resistant containers that are specifically designed / designated for the collection of sharps. 
  • Containers for the collection of sharps must be dated when put into use and shall not be kept in the laboratory beyond 90 days from their initial use.
  • Do not overfill sharps containers. They should be closed and sealed when they are approximately 3/4 full.
  • The final disposal of sharps containers is coordinated by the University. Filled sharps containers will be collected at central locations on campus. Pick-up for final disposal will be on a quarterly basis to coincide with the state mandated 90 day limit for the storage of used sharps. Email reminders for sharp disposal are sent the week prior to pickup.  If you are not receiving reminders, please contact ibc@mtu.edu to be added to the list. 

The University has a contract with Stericycle for disposal of biological waste that cannot be processed on site.  This primarily includes medical waste (needles, scalpels), biologically contaminated materials, and animal carcasses from ongoing animal research.  Stericycle pickups are scheduled for every 90 days to meet the requirements of the Michigan Medical Waste Regulatory Act.  Pick up dates are posted on the Google Calendar “Stericycle Pickup calendar.”  A reminder is also posted to send a pickup memo to researchers posted a week prior to the pickup date.  If you are not receiving reminders, please contact ibc@mtu.edu to be added to the list.