Biosafety officer

As defined by the ContainO ordinance (Annex 4 No 1 let. c ContainO), activities with genetically modified organisms, pathogenic organisms, or exotic organisms are subject to mandatory containment and must be supervised by the Biosafety Officer (BSO) monitoring biological safety.

The BSO is appointed by the project responsible person (group leader) notified in the ECOGEN client portal. The BSO’s role must be independent of that of the project responsible person, to avoid conflicts of interest that could lead to biological risks. The BSO may also act as EPFL’s safety correspondent (CoSec).

Roles and responsibilities related to these activities are defined at EPFL in the “Technical complementary directive to the LEX 1.5.1 for laboratories working with genetically modified organisms and/or pathogens”.

Safety concept: The BSO of BSL 2 and BSL 3 laboratories must write  and maintain a safety concept specific to the activities announced in their research unit, as detailed in the in the “Technical complementary directive to the LEX 1.5.1 for laboratories working with genetically modified organisms and/or pathogens”.

Background and training of the BSO: The BSO must be fully aware of the biological risks present in the laboratory, including the microorganisms being handled and the experiments conducted. Information about training courses for BSO is available on our dedicated webpage.

Training of personnel: The BSO must inform, advise, and train all laboratory personnel, including external guests, on specific organisms, methodologies, equipment usage, and EPFL Biosafety directives. This training must be documented, such as through a signed acknowledgment form or an email summarizing the training content. This training must cover, at a minimum, the following aspects:
– Information on the pathogens used in the laboratory along with the organism safety data sheets prepared by the biosafety team. These organism safety data sheets can be downloaded here.
– The usage of PPE (personal protective equipment) such as gloves, safety glasses, lab coat.
– Procedure for using the microbiological safety cabinet, including specific instructions for managing the waste container inside the cabinet, as well as guidelines for operating other instruments used in the room.
– Procedures for waste inactivation and disposal (both solid and liquid), surface decontamination (including the equipment such as centrifuges, incubators, and biosafety cabinets) and the proper use of approved disinfectants.
– Procedures for transporting pathogens on the campus.
– Procedure for the storage and use of organism inventory.
– Procedure in case of spill or other accident.

This training must be conducted regularly.

Biosafety cabinet maintenance: The BSO ensures annual biosafety cabinet maintenance, either by an external company or EPFL workshop, depending on the faculty. For BSL 2 laboratories, maintenance is mandatory and must be performed at least once a year. In contrast, for BSL 1 laboratories, maintenance is highly recommended but not strictly required.

Cleaning of the BSL 2 laboratory: The BSO is responsible for organizing and overseeing the laboratory’s cleaning procedures and schedules. The template for the periodic hygiene plan is available in Annex 7 of the supplementary directive and must be tailored to the specificities of the unit.

Biological waste inactivation: The BSO ensures that the biological waste (both solid and liquid) is properly inactivated in the lab. Liquid waste can be inactivated by autoclaving or by chemical treatment with a disinfectant. Inactivation of liquid waste by chemical treatment must be carried out with an authorized biocide (authorized biocides). For more information, refer to the biological waste page.

Organism inventory: The BSO must establish an inventory of organisms used and/or stored in the laboratory and make sure that it is kept up to date.

Laboratory guidelines: The BSO is responsible for ensuring that all users comply with biosafety rules. The Biosafety Level 1 and 2 laboratory guidelines are available on our website. These guidelines must be displayed in the laboratory and can serve as a reference during safety briefings for new users.

Announcement of new organism and new activity: The BSO has to contact the EPFL biosafety ([email protected] or by opening a ticket) to announce:
– the usage and storage of new organisms.
– new activities (experiments) carried out in the BSL 2 laboratory.

The biosafety team will take care of updating the notification if needed, and to prepare the safety data sheets for the new pathogenic organisms. 

 

BSL 2 laboratory CAMIPRO access

The FOBS 3 biosafety course is a prerequisite for access to BSL 2 and BSL 3 labs. All information on course registration and dates is available here.

The link to request the BSL 2 access is available here by clicking on “Request for access to room with biological risk”.

More information is available on the biological hazard web page.

 

Job description

The SUVA accident insurance requires that the duties of the BSO be included in the employee’s job description (“cahier de charges”). The following description can be used for this purpose:

  1. Inform, advise, and train staff (including external guests).
  2. Verify compliance with biosafety rules (including creating and monitoring the organism database).
  3. Contact the EPFL biosafety in case of a new biological activity (ex: new pathogen).