Meet the Team
- Associate Biosafety Officer/ Interim Biosafety Officer Joseph Callahan
- Assistant Biosafety Officer Thuong Nguyen
- Assistant Biosafety Officer Andrew Marttini
- Biosafety General Line - (310) 206-3929
- Biosafety Inbox - biosafety@ehs.ucla.edu
Notify Biosafety of a biological exposure within 8 hrs.
Leave a voicemail at (310) 825-9797 (select option #3)
Research involving biological materials require a BUA:
- Recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules regulated by NIH Guidelines
- Infectious agents or potentially infectious agents to human, animal, or plants as outlined in Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL)
- Work with human materials, bloodborne pathogens, or potentially infectious materials (OPIM) covered by CalOSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (BBP)
- Select agents & toxins
- Genetically modified animals, plants, and plant-associated organisms
- UCLA Biosafety Plan
- UCLA Policy 992 : Use of Biohazardous Materials and Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules in Research and Teaching Activities
- UCLA Policy 811 : Environment, Health, and Safety
For news and communication from the Biosafety and Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) administrative office:
- Register at ORA & Department News Subscription Page
- Subscribe to Institutional Biosafety Committee News
How can we help?
Additional Resources
The Institutional Biosafety Plan(IBP) provides guidance on requirements for the safe use of regulated biological materials in research and teaching at UCLA. The IBP applies to all UCLA faculty, staff, students, contract employees, and other personnel working at locations where UCLA has management of the following biological materials:
- Infectious agents (bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites and prions) that can cause disease in healthy humans and/or significant environmental or agricultural impacts
- Human and nonhuman primate materials (all fluids, tissues, excretions, secretions, primary cells or cell lines)
- Select agents and select toxins (see Guidelines Regulating Select Agents & Toxins below)
- Recombinant and synthetic nucleic acid molecules (see Guidelines Regulating Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules below)
- Genetically modified animals and whole plants
A BUA is required for all research and teaching activities involving biological materials described in the IBP. BUAs must be submitted using SafetyNet and approved by the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC). More information can be found in the Institutional Biosafety Plan: Chapter 2.
Go to SafetyNet
A comprehensive review of the facilities, equipment and practices covered under each BUA is required when a new facility is set up and every 3 years thereafter or whenever significant changes are made that affect the risk assessment (e.g., containment level change, new major equipment or operations).
During the review, EH&S Biosafety works with the PI or a designated representative to evaluate the efficacy of the biosafety program and to ensure that facility standards are maintained, engineering controls are utilized effectively, and risk mitigation plans documented in SOPs are implemented and meeting the needs of personnel.
Following reviews, EH&S Biosafety will generate reports to summarize the findings. A follow-up visit will be scheduled within 30 days to address any outstanding issues. The IBC may choose to investigate repeat findings as outlined in the Policy on Investigating Allegations of Noncompliance.
Select agent and toxin regulations require that any entity, facility and personnel involved in possession, use, or transfer of select agents and toxins register with theFederal Select Agent Program(FSAP). More information on can be found in theInstitutional Biosafety Plan: Chapter 3.
| Tier 1 Select Agents and Toxins | Tier 1 can pose as a severe threat to public health and safety, and require additional training, containment, occupational health and security requirements (see 42 CFR 73 and 9 CFR 121). |
|---|---|
| Permissible Amounts of Select Toxins | The UCLA IBC requires registration of permissible amounts of select toxins before acquisition of any amount to ensure proper biosafety and biosecurity measures are in place. This does not require registration with FSAP. Related documents & forms: Select Toxin Inventory Log Select Toxin Worksheet Select Toxin Due Diligence Form |
| Dual Use Research of Concern | Dual use research of concern (DURC) refers to life sciences research involving 15 designated agents and toxins and 7 categories of experiments. These agents and experiments pose a significant threat with broad potential consequences to public health and safety, plants, animals, the environment, military materials and equipment, or national security. At UCLA, the Dual Use Review Entity (DURE) identifies DURC and implements risk mitigation measures per UCLA Policy 995. |
If this an emergency, call 9-1-1. To reach the EH&S Hotline, call (310) 825-9797.
How do I request a new biohazard door card?
Complete the theBiohazard Door Card Request form. These door cards are for sub-rooms. If the door is public facing, complete theUniversal Door Card Request form.
How often should my Biosafety Cabinet (BSC) be certified and how do I get it certified?
BSCs should be certified annually. A TSS sticker on the BSC will note when it was last certified and the retest date. If your BSC needs to be serviced, please contact the phone number on the sticker.
If you have a fume hood that you would like to get serviced, emailfumehoods@ehs.ucla.eduto schedule a technician visit.
What should I use to disinfect?
Please see theDecontamination SOP.
I don't know who to contact. What do I do?
OurEH&S Virtual Office Hours portal will allow you to schedule a time to speak with an EH&S representative. In the portal, click on the "i" for more information on each service EH&S provides.
Is there information on how to manage core facilities?
Please see theCore Facility Management SOP.
What if I can new personnel?
New personnel can use theSite Safety Orientation Checklist.
What training do I take if I will perform BSL-3 experiments?
The BSL-3 training program is an extended mentorship and competency testing plan, which is conducted over several weeks in one of the UCLA BSL-3 facilities. Currently, the biggest prerequisite is to have an approved project which will take place in a UCLA BSL-3 lab at some point in the coming months. You can have whoever is coordinating your lab's BSL-3 experiment get in touch with the UCLA High Containment Director about scheduling your training. Please visit the High Containment website for more information.