BIOSAFETY

Lab Safety

Our team took the safety and security of our project seriously. All work in the Wet Lab was done using non-pathogenic strains and non-toxic molecules of interest to ensure the safety of our team members. If you want to get a more detailed report on our team’s safety measures, you can take a look at our iGEM safety form.

• We were wearing an appropriate PPE when we worked in the lab. This includes wearing lab coats, gloves, closed-toed shoes, long pants, UV-protective face shields, as well as tying long hair.


• We knew the location of the eye-washing station, shower, first-aid kit, extinguisher, and emergency exits.


• We were washing hands regularly, after entering the lab, and before leaving it.


• We were cleaning the lab every day.


• We were disinfecting the working surfaces before and after the protocols.


• We were labeling the glassware, containers, and samples properly and stored them at the right conditions.


• We used the fume hood when we worked with potentially dangerous chemicals.


• We used laminar flow hood when working with microorganisms like E.coli and Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 to avoid contamination.


• We were using autoclave to run day-to-day operations in the lab and sterilize the biohazardous waste.

Safety Trainings

Our university gives great importance to the safety of students, faculty members, and staff. Therefore, the team members that were involved in the Wet Lab experiments were required to go through a series of safety training sessions, and take the exam.

Chemical Safety Training

This is one of the mandatory safety programs for all UBCO members who are applying for access to areas where chemical hazards are being handled or stored. This training allowed us to meet the requirements of Transport Canada, WHMIS and WorkSafeBC as well as receive permission to receive, handle and conduct research with chemical hazards.

Laboratory Biological Safety Course

The successful completion of this course is mandatory for all new staff and researchers in order to work in the areas where bio-hazardous material can be encountered. Laboratory Biological Safety Course helped us to be appropriately trained in protocols that are specific to UBC and provided with detailed information regarding safe research in the biological lab.

Hazard Waste Disposal Training

This training helped us to understand how we can assist our university community in handling, managing and reducing wastes in the laboratory. It also introduced us with the Hazardous Waste Inventory System (HWIS) and the Chemical Exchange Program to show how different types of laboratory waste are responsibly and safely disposed of.