Institutional Biosafety Policy

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Purpose

Oklahoma State University (OSU) has an institutional biosafety program established by the authority of the Vice President for Research. The purpose of the biosafety program is to ensure that all research and teaching activities involving the use of biohazardous materials and the facilities used to conduct such work are in compliance with all external regulations and applicable university policies.

 

Applicability

The external regulations and university policies are binding on all OSU personnel, including faculty, staff, students, visiting scientists, and other personnel who use OSU-owned facilities for research and teaching activities involving biohazardous materials.

 

Applicable Regulations and Guidelines

 

OSU’s biosafety program monitors all laboratory activities that involve recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules and other biohazardous materials that pose a potential risk to laboratory personnel, non-laboratory personnel, and the environment. The biosafety program is structured in accordance with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL) 5th Edition (December 2009) for work with infectious agents and the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules.

 

OSU’s Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) is responsible for reviewing all instructional and research activities that involve recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules and other biohazardous materials, which includes all infectious agents and material that pose a potential risk to humans, animals, or plants (i.e., human, animal, and plant pathogens). Additionally, biohazardous materials include biologically derived toxins.

 

 

Appeals Procedures

In case of dispute with respect to procedures or decisions of the Institutional Biosafety Committee, appeals may be made to the Vice President for Research.