EH&S Guide for Principal Investigators
The Guide for Principal Investigators (PI Guide) is an introduction to Environmental Health & Safety for principal investigators (PIs) who are new to the University of Washington and…
National Biosafety Month 2023: The value of written procedures
For National Biosafety Month 2023, Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) encourages labs to develop written standard operating procedures (SOPs) for procedures involving biohazards.…
Bloodborne Pathogens
The purpose of the UW Bloodborne Pathogens (BBP) Program is to protect University personnel from exposure to human blood and other potentially infectious materials (OPIM).The UW Bloodborne Pathogens…
IBC Meeting Agenda
Agenda for a meeting of the UW Institutional Biosafety Committee
Bloodborne pathogens worker safety requirements
Human blood and other potentially infectious materials may contain viruses referred to as bloodborne pathogens (BBP) that can make people ill if they become infected. Implementing workplace safety…
Site-Specific Bloodborne Pathogen (BBP) Exposure Control Plan template
PIs/supervisors must develop a site-specific BBP Exposure Control Plan as a supplement to the UW’s core BBP Exposure Control Plan in Appendix A of the UW Biosafety Manual. The site-…
Prevent and Manage Amplicon Contamination in Your Lab
This focus sheet describes how to prevent and manage amplicon contamination in the laboratory. Those who work with nucleic acids, plasmid preparations and PCR products from SARS-CoV-2 gene targets…
UW Core Bloodborne Pathogens (BBP) Exposure Control Plan
The UW Core Bloodborne Pathogens (BBP) Exposure Control Plan is contained in Appendix A of the UW Biosafety Manual.
The November 2021 Biosafety Manual is now online
The 2021 UW Biosafety Manual is now available online. All laboratories or facilities using biohazards must have an electronic link or paper copy of the current manual available to all personnel…
Biohazardous Waste
Laboratory personnel and principal investigators (PIs) are responsible for identifying, packaging and properly decontaminating biohazardous waste, including all recombinant or synthetic DNA/RNA waste…
New guidelines to help protect you from biological reproductive hazards
Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) provides guidelines for UW personnel who are pregnant (or planning to become pregnant) and who may be exposed to certain biological agents that can increase…
Response and reporting requirements for incidents involving biohazardous materials
In the event of a spill or exposure to biohazardous materials, established response procedures and reporting requirements apply to all students and personnel of the UW. Researchers should review…
The March 2023 UW Biosafety Manual is now online
An updated March 2023 version of the UW Biosafety Manual is now available online. The changes made to the manual were limited to administrative updates, including updating web hyperlinks and minor…
Hazardous Material Spills
A hazardous material spill is an uncontrolled release of a substance that is potentially hazardous to humans, animals and/or the environment. University personnel and students working with hazardous…
Biological Safety Cabinets
Biological safety cabinets (BSCs) are used to protect personnel, products and the environment from exposure to biohazards and cross contamination during routine procedures.
Sharps and Lab Glass Waste
Laboratory personnel and principal investigators (PIs) are responsible to properly identify, packaging, decontaminate, and dispose of sharps and laboratory glass and plastic waste. For site-specific…
Welcome to Environmental Health & Safety
The University of Washington is committed to providing a healthy and safe environment for faculty, staff, students, visitors, and volunteers in all sites owned, operated, or controlled by the…
Mission and Vision
UW Environmental Health & Safety's mission is to partner with the UW community to provide a healthy and safe campus and protect our environment.
National Biosafety Month 2022: Substitute with safer alternatives
During National Biosafety Month in October, EH&S is encouraging labs working with biohazards to identify hazards that could be substituted with a safer alternative to reduce the potential for…