Team:Rice/Safety
Training
Throughout our project, safety has been our top priority. By attending safety trainings and practicing proper lab etiquette, every team member played their part in keeping our lab safe. Before anyone can work in a Rice University laboratory, they must attend a General Laboratory Safety Seminar administered by Rice EHS. The training details:
1) Lab Safety Protocols
2) Personal Protective Equipment
3) Proper Waste Disposal
4) Chemical, Fire, and Electrical Safety
5) Risk Recognition and Minimization Methods
6) Emergency Situation Protocols
As part of the Rice iGEM team, we work in biological labs; the requirement for those working in such labs includes a second training, the Biosafety and Bloodborne Pathogens Training, which details:
1) Biosafety Equipment
2) Risk Group System
3) Biosafety Groups
4) Containment
In addition to these trainings, graduate student advisors provided in-lab mentoring to our team members on the best lab safety practices, especially on how to keep our working environment as sterile as possible.
Lab Information
We worked with multiple Risk Group 1 bacterial strains in Biosafety Level 1 labs. Most work was done in either a biosafety cabinet, to prevent contamination of the samples or the worker, or at open benches. All labs are equipped with the necessary safety equipment:
Our Project
Our work surrounded multiple model and non-model bacterial strains, all of which are classified as Risk Group 1. Risk Group 1 strains are considered low risk because, typically, healthy adults will not develop a disease due to interaction with the strains. On account of this low risk, our team followed basic everyday precautions:
1) Personal Protective Equipment: gloves, long pants, close-toed shoes, lab coats
2) Tie back long hair
3) Never store food or drink in lab space
4) Wash hands immediately after lab