National Biosafety Month 2018: Promoting a culture of safety
During 2018's National Biosafety Month, you are encouraged to focus attention on biosafety policies and practices. Investigators and laboratory managers can raise biosafety awareness, discuss the…
Heating Devices Focus Sheet
Many labs and shops use at least one type of heating device, such as ovens, hot plates, heating mantles and tapes, and oil baths. Heating materials, especially chemicals, present a number of…
General Health and Safety Training Course Selection Guide
The General Health and Safety Training Course Selection Guide provides guidance on identifying the health and safety related training classes available to all University of Washington employees…
Experiments Covered by the NIH Guidelines
This document details the types of experiments involving biohazards covered by the NIH Guidelines.
NIH Guidelines Exempt Experiments
This document lists the exempt experiments that fall under Section III-F of the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules.
Space Heaters and Other Temporary Portable Heaters
In the event a heating system fails, or there is inadequate heat to an area, every effort should be made to correct the problem with building heating before using temporary or portable heat…
Plant Research Biosafety
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Plants are an important research tool used to learn more about basic life processes and to help answer questions in agriculture, health and the…
UW Biohazard Waste Flow Chart: Life Sciences Building
This flow chart shows the waste stream for different types of biohazardous waste at the UW Life Sciences Building (LSB) location.
Autoclaving Biohazardous Waste SOP Template
If you use an autoclave to decontaminate biohazardous waste, you need to have a site-specific SOP. Use this fillable PDF template to create your SOP. Any personnel operating the autoclave needs to…
Biohazardous Waste Flow Charts
Refer to the biohazardous waste flow charts below for site-specific information.
Animal Research Waste
Harborview Medical Center
Harborview Research & Training Building
Life Sciences Building…
Spill Response Poster
Use the Spill Response Poster as a guide to clean up radiological, chemical and biohazardous spills.
Post in your lab alongside the Exposure Response Poster.
National Biosafety Month 2019: Biosafety beyond the lab
October is National Biosafety Month, a time to focus on your lab’s biosafety practices and policies. For 2019, EH&S is focusing on biosafety beyond the lab. We are encouraging you to reflect and…
Viral Vectors for Gene Transfer
Viral vectors are popular research tools in biological sciences and other fields. They are customizable, allowing for research with different genes of interest in a variety of in vitro and in vivo…
Fire Extinguisher Use
Read the focus sheet for information about safely using a fire extinguisher, which involves training to operate it, awareness of potential personal exposure toextinguishing materials,…
Preventable fire alarm initiative
Seattle Fire Department’s Fire Prevention Division launched an initiative to avoid “false” (preventable) alarms.
Preventable alarms include:
Any activation of a fire alarm…
Replace Obsolete Biosafety Cabinets
There are multiple models of biological safety cabinets (BSCs) at the UW that Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) has identified as obsolete.
Visit the Biological Safety Cabinets…
Replace your obsolete biosafety cabinet
The University has over 950 active biosafety cabinets (BSCs), and about 150 have become obsolete due to safer design standards and the challenge of obtaining replacement parts. Environmental Health…
Fire Code Classifications for Hazardous Materials
Hazardous materials are classified according to the International Fire Code, which limits quantities of certain chemicals based on physical and health hazards, and sets requirements for…
Should you pull the fire alarm after a chemical spill?
Following the announcement of the Seattle Police Department’s preventable fire alarm initiative (that will result in fines for false alarms starting January 1, 2020), EH&S has fielded concerns…