| Approved by: S. Thompson | SOP No. LBL03001 |
| Signed: | Effective from: |
| Date: | Last edited: |
The purpose here is to highlight the role that a Biological Safety Officer (BSO) plays in maintaining and implementing the rules and guidelines laid out in the SOPs and associated documentation, including the government regulations on the use, disposal and containment of chemicals, biological organisms and waste.
The intention here is also describe where responsibility lies in terms of ensuring that guidelines and regulations are followed in practice. Particularly where responsibility passes from BSO to the Principal Investigator (PI) or lab user when undertaking work within the laboratory.
All users of the London Biohackspace BioLab need to be aware of the BSO's role and be able to locate and communicate with the BSO should any queries regarding safe and correct lab usage arise.
It is the BSO's responsibility to carry out the BSO's role outlined in this document. and the general BioLab.
All other SOPs documented here reflect the best practice approach to using the London Biohackspace BioLab, if in any doubt please contact the BSO for clarification.
- BSO
- Biological Safety Officer
- PI
- Principal Investigator
- SOP
- Standard Operating Procedure
- GMO
- Genetically Modified Organism
- PPE
- Personal Protective Equipment
- The BSO exists to ensure that the London Biohackspace SOPs and therefore the required safety regulations are adhered to by users of the BioLab. The SOPs have been defined based on relevant regulations and advice sought from qualified third parties. The SOPs reflect correct and safe lab usage.
- It is the BSO's responsibility to induct new users into the laboratory (as per LBL02001) so that other Bio Lab users are aware of the risks and correct approach involved in all typical BioLab procedures or to ensure that qualified trainers perform the induction which is ultimately checked and signed off by the BSO.
- The BSO will maintain a list of inducted individuals and trainers.
- It is the BSO's responsibility to maintain the SOP documentation by validating any edits and additions to these procedures for the purposes of clarity and consistency.
- The BSO will ensure that there is a regular review of all established SOPs to ensure that they stay up to date. This can occur on an ad-hoc basis but not less than annually.
- The BSO must ensure that appropriate PPE is available as required and that any request for further information or assistance from BioLab usrs is reasonably met. However, once a BioLab user has been inducted (as per LBL02001), he/she becomes responsible for their own health and safety within the lab, and also that of other's who may also be working within the vicinity of his/her experiments/equipment.
- The BSO will seek confirmation that any work carried out involving the genetic modification of organisms within the lab conforms to The Genetically Modified Organisms (Contained Use) Regulations 2014 [1]. For anyone undertaking this kind of work, the SOPs covering correct handling and disposal of GMOs must be followed and the BSO will ensure that any projects involving GMOs will only commence if an adequate risk assessment has been completed and approved by the BSO and any external/third party GM advisors.
- The BSO will maintain a record of all risk assessments carried out for projects in the BioLab. This record will be kept for at least ten years.
- The BSO should make sure that supply of consumables such as spill kit and first aid kit contents are maintained.
- Ultimately, the BSO must determine whether a lab user is using the laboratory facility in a correct and safe manner and intervene when further advice or assistance is required. It is the BSO's responsibility to restrict access to the laboratory facility for any potential lab user until that potential lab user can consistently demonstrate knowledge of correct and safe laboratory usage.
| [1] | http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/1663/contents/made |