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…
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.
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…
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…
Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) Charter
The charter for the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) describes the purpose, function and operation of the University's IBC.
Responding to Lab Inspection Findings in EHSA
University units use the guide Responding to Lab Inspection Findings in EHSA to respond to biosafety lab inspection findings.
Visit the Environmental Health and Safety Assistant (EHSA…
Vaccinia Virus Research Safety Policy
The Vaccinia Virus Research Safety Policy outlines the safety and occupational health requirements for work with vaccinia virus.
Third Generation Lentiviral Vectors
This document outlines the UW Institutional Biosafety Committee's working definition of 3rd generation lentiviral vectors.
Dual Use Research of Concern (DURC) and Pathogens with Enhanced Pandemic Potential (PEPP)
UPDATE: The White House issued an executive order on May 5, 2025, directing federal agencies to end funding for "dangerous gain-of-function research” and develop a new oversight policy within 120…
Biological Toxin Checklist
Use Biological Toxin Checklist to ensure compliance and safe work practices for research involving biological toxins.