Education & Training

Mandatory Biosafety Training

• CITI Biosafety/Biosecurity Modules

  • At the moment, the CITI program requirement only applies to all personnel listed on new IBC application submissions and when adding project personnel onto an existing IBC-approved registration by amendment.
  • Once researchers complete the revised education requirements, CITI training will be valid indefinitely. As research goals change, however, additional modules may need to be taken.

• All MUSC employees (whether or not conducting research) are required to take annual biosafety-related training modules in MyQuest, which include

  • OSHA Review: which includes topics of hazardous materials and bloodborne pathogens

• It is the Principal Investigator’s responsibility to train personnel on IBC-approved biosafety procedures, prior to working in the lab.

  • Principal Investigators must have a biosafety protocol (a.k.a. Standard Operating Procedures or SOPs) to ensure compliance with safety guidelines outlined by the Center for Disease Control publication "Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories, 5^th Edition"
    • Template biosafety protocols
  • Safety protocols are reviewed during review of Institutional Biosafety Committee applications and as part of lab inspections.
  • Principal Investigators must train the personnel on the biosafety procedures as approved by the IBC, prior to starting the work.
  • Each person listed on the IBC registration must sign the associated biosafety protocols indicating that they have read, understand, and agree to follow the specified biosafety procedures.

• The Biosafety Officer may provide additional hands-on training for lab personnel as requested by the IBC.

Optional Educational Materials

• The following educational materials can be viewed as PowerPoint Slides:
  • Introduction to Biosafety Training at MUSC (PDF)
  • Unit 1: The role and responsibilities of the PI with respect to Biosafety and Animals at MUSC (PDF)
  • Unit 2: Principles of Biosafety as they relate to the safe conduct of science requiring the use of biohazardous materials at MUSC (PDF).
  • Unit 3: How to determine the relative biosafety risk associated with a planned experiment (PDF).
  • Unit 4: Specific Requirements for Biosafety Levels 1 to 3: PPE, Biological Safety Cabinets (BSCs) and the risks associated with centrifugation (PDF).
  • Unit 5: Biohazardous Spills (PDF)
  • Unit 6: Requirements for the biannual inspection (PDF)
  • Unit 7: Working with Biohazardous materials: The role of the PI in informing the laboratorian(s) of potential hazards in the workplace (PDF).
  • Unit 8: Risk Assessment of viral vectors (PDF)
  • Unit 9: Risk Assessment of Adenoviral vectors (PDF)
  • Unit 10: Risk Assessment of Retroviral vectors (PDF)
  • Unit 11: Risk Assessment of Biological Toxins (PDF)
• Introduction to Retroviral Vectors (PDF)
• Introduction to Adenoviral Vectors (PDF)

Miscellaneous Education Material

• CITI Biosafety Course (you can register to browse the Demo modules)
• American Biological Safety Association (ABSA) - Animal biosafety videos
• NIH OBA Biosafety Considerations for Research with Lentiviral Vectors
• Pathogen Safety Data Sheets and Risk Assessment (Public Health Agency of Canada)