Team:GZHS-United/Safety
Safe Project Design of GZHS-United
Whereas some may say safety first, our team strives for safety always, and aims to reinforce safe engagement, at any point of the project. We reassured our project is carried out under safe circumstances and secure guidelines. This is where standardized protocols, risk assessments and safety procedures come in.
The entire experimental planning done for laboratory work was conform the expression safety-by-design. We made great effort in avoiding all unnecessary safe risks, such as choosing a non-pathogenic chassis, and creating parts that will not harm humans / animals / plants.
Chassis Organisms
Genetically modified organisms can alter natural ecosystem balances in a very unpredictable way. We expressed the protein in vitro, and all Escherichia coli were kept in the laboratory and did not spread to the environment.
Parts
The parts used in our project are environmentally friendly and will not harm humans / animals / plants. The enzymes we studied exist in creature universally.
Safe Lab Work of GZHS-United
A solid safety-by-design project already constrains a lot of possible risks but is not a waterproof approach by itself. Appropriate disposal of materials used is a very important factor when it comes to containment of risks within the laboratory space. Therefore, all biological and was treated accordingly:
Biological waste
All biological waste was collected in labeled bottles and sterilized by autoclaving. It was the duty of our Safety Manager to maintain a balanced bookkeeping of incoming biological materials and outgoing biological waste streams, and present this to the Biosafety Officer of the University.
Protection
We conducted a series of detailed training on the laboratory code of conduct and ensured that our behavior in the laboratory was consistent with the code of conduct. For example, in terms of clothing protection, every person entering the laboratory should have a lab coat, goggles, gloves and trousers to ensure that they are fully protected. Before and after using the experimental equipment, ensure that it is non-toxic and safe, so as to avoid the next time the experimenter is at risk without knowing it.