Michigan Tech requires that all personnel involved in the use of hazardous biological materials are properly trained. Biosafety Training courses are available online through CITI Program and Safety Skills. These introductory courses lay the foundation for additional hands-on, laboratory specific training that is necessary for researchers to work safely in a biological laboratory. Training requirements vary depending on the research that was being conducted. For example, if you are working in a Biosafety 2 level, with animals, nanotechnology, and blood: required courses include Biosafety Level 2; Animal Biosafety; Nanotechnology; and Bloodborne Pathogens. Training requirements may be met by taking courses offered through CITI Program, Safety Skills or a combination of the two. Also, supplemental training Fundamentals of Working Safely in a Biological Safety Cabinet is available through CDCTrain
Biosafety training must be completed and documented prior to IBC protocol approval and beginning research in the laboratory.
CITI Program training is Michigan Tech’s primary tool for training and documentation. The following list of CITI modules are available to meet biosafety training requirements for the respective areas (note a minimum score of 80% is required to pass). See the drop down menu Enrolling in CITI Biosafety Courses for information on registering and enrolling in these courses.
- Biosafety Level 1: The biosafety level 1 (BSL-1) course provides the basic guidelines for work in a biological laboratory using organisms and biological materials that are unlikely to cause disease or harm to healthy humans, animals, or the environment.
- Biosafety Level 2: The biosafety level 2 (BSL-2) course provides laboratory guidelines for work with organisms and biological materials that can cause disease but do not pose a serious risk to humans, animals, or the environment.
- Animal Biosafety: The Animal Biosafety course is required for Animal Researchers and Animal Care Facility Workers
- Shipping and Transport of Regulated Biological Materials: This course provides information needed to safely package and ship biological materials. This course must be completed before shipping biological materials and is required by the Department of Transportation (DOT) and International Air Transit Association (IATA). DOT requires retraining every 3 years; IATA requires retraining every 2 years.
- NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA: This course gives an overview of the NIH guidelines and summarizes the responsibilities of researchers working with recombinant DNA.
- Nanotechnology: This course provides a basic introduction to nanotechnology; its applications; risks to human health and the environment; regulations concerning their use; and best practices for working safely with these materials.
- Biosafety Complete Training: Optional training for those that want to learn everything about biosafety that the CITI program has to offer.
- Bloodborne Pathogens: This course meets the bloodborne pathogen training requirement and provides researchers with information that is basic to their work with human blood and other potentially infectious materials.
- Biosafety Committee Member Training: This course provides an overview of basic information related to the review projects by members of the biosafety committee.
- Dual Use Research of Concern: This course discusses the responsibility of investigators whose research in the life sciences may yield results that could present a significant threat to human, animal, or environmental health, if used inappropriately.
- USDA Permits: This course provides basic information about the permits that are required by the USDA for the import/transport of specific soils, plant pathogens and animal pathogens.
Creating a CITI program Account
If you have already taken courses through CITI Program and are affiliated with Michigan Tech, you do not need to re-register and can skip this step. Otherwise create an account by going to the citiprogram website and click on the register link near the top right corner of the page. You will be guided through each of the seven steps in the registration process.
Enrolling in CITI Online Courses
After creating an account, log in at citiprogram.org using your CITI username and password.
From the main Welcome page, click on the “View Courses” box for Michigan Technological University. Then scroll down to “Learner Tools for Michigan Technological University” and click "Add a Course."
Select Curriculum
The CITI training courses offered by Michigan Tech are grouped into five categories:
- Human Subjects Research
- Responsible Conduct of Research
- Animal Research
- Biosafety/Biosecurity
- Conflicts of Interest/Export Control
Scroll down to the category for Biosafety/Biosecurity where several online biosafety training courses are listed. Select the courses you plan to take; then scroll to the bottom of the page and click the submit button.
Completing your Online Training
Each course contains several modules that can be completed at your own pace. You may want to complete the training in several sessions. The program remembers which modules you have completed. Returning to the site requires signing in with your username and password.
Michigan Tech offers a wide range of online training through Safety Skills. If you are interested in taking any or all of these courses related to biosafety, contact your departmental safety officer and ask to be enrolled.
- Biosafety Basics: Enrollment in all of the courses listed below.
- Autoclave Safety: A short 8-minute training on autoclave safety.
- Biosafety Level 2: This course addresses the safety considerations and safe work practice requirements for BSL-2 laboratories.
- Bloodborne Pathogens for Research and Campus Activities: This course introduces the bloodborne pathogen standard and discusses bloodborne infectious diseases, their transmission, methods for controlling exposure and spill cleanup procedures.
- Laboratory Safety-Biological Hazards: This course introduces laboratory biosafety levels, and discusses common biological hazards, PPE, decontamination, centrifugation, and after-hours work.
- Scalpel and Needle Safety in Laboratories: This course covers safe working practices when using scalpels and needles.
Fundamentals of Working Safely in a Biological Safety Cabinet
A biological safety cabinet (BSC) is the primary means of containment developed for working safely with infectious microorganisms. Class II BSCs, the most common cabinets used in laboratories, are designed to provide personnel protection (for you and those around you), product protection (for your samples or specimens), and environmental protection. This basic-level eLearning course module provides information on the safe use of Class II biological safety cabinets. Topics covered include major parts of a BSC, how a BSC works, how to work safely inside a BSC, and what to do if there is an emergency while working in a BSC. Videos, interactive exercises, job aids, and a modifiable checklist template are included in the course to enhance the learning experience.