Emergency Response - General

Emergency response should focus on treatment of personnel who are accidentally exposed to agents listed on this protocol. A general emergency response can include the following:

Wash exposed area with soap and water for 15 minutes. For eye splash, flush eyes with eyewash for 15 minutes. Report potential exposures to biohazardous agents or non-pathogenic rDNA organisms to the PI/supervisor, obtain medical attention and notify the Biological Safety Officer (BSO) and Occupational Medicine using the online “First Report of Exposure or Release” form within 24 hours (available on the OBS website, https://ehs.wisc.edu/first-report-of-biological-exposure-or-release-event/). 

Medical follow-up should be sought at EH&S - Occupational Medicine or UW - Emergency Department as physicians there are trained to treat persons working in laboratories on campus. Provide information regarding the materials you are working with (i.e., strain, drug resistance, etc.) to the medical professional in order for them to make an informed decision on proper treatment.

Emergency Response - Special

The Emergency response special section should describe any special emergency response procedures for unique or higher risk materials/activities listed on the protocol. This section is used to describe select materials or activities which require additional or specific follow-up in the event of an emergency. For example:

• Biological toxins
• Oncogenes or potential oncogenes used in association with viral vectors able to enter human cells
• Gene editing systems (human epigenetic changes potential, hazard communication regarding the gene editing system, vectors used in association with the system, ability to integrate into or edit human genome, long/short term effects for a person if known)
• Occupational Medicine Emergency Response Plans (https://www.uhs.wisc.edu/eoh/occupational-medicine/)
• Herpes B

Occupational Health Considerations

The Occupational Health Considerations section should focus on certain preventative measures which may be offered or hazard communication needed for materials/activities listed on the biosafety protocol. For example:

• Vaccination(s)

• Zika virus
• Listeria sp.
• Vaccinia virus (UW-Madison Institutional Biosafety Committee Policy UW-6102) 
• Dengue virus (UW-Madison Institutional Biosafety Committee Policy UW-6102)
• Influenza
• Allergens

Lab Specific Training

The laboratory specific biosafety training should include information about the biological agents in use, procedures with the agents, and the emergency responses. If activities with animals are performed, training for animal caretakers (e.g., hazard communication, information on microbes, disinfection/inactivation procedures, signage, PPE) should be described. If plants will be housed in a greenhouse, training for greenhouse staff (e.g., hazard communication, information on microbes, disinfection/inactivation procedures, signage, PPE) should be described.

The Institutional Biosafety Committee recommends annual (or more frequent) refresher training.

The required online biosafety trainings do not need to be mentioned in this section.

Still have questions? Call the Office of Biological Safety (OBS) at 608-263-2037. We are happy to help!