Training and First Time User Information

Training and First Time User Information

First Time User Steps for Working With Biological Materials

If you are working with biological materials, you will need an IBC registration or exemption. Contact biosafe@hawaii.edu to help you determine what type of approval you need.

  1. Complete required BioRaft and CITI Training (see training requirements below)
  2. Submit a BSP-2 form to biosafe@hawaii.edu to obtain biological materials for your work
  3. Submit your IBC registration
    • An IBC inspection of your laboratory within the last 12 months is required for IBC registration approval. You can ask for an inspection prior to registration submission or while your registration is being reviewed.
    • If you will be working with vertebrate animals, an IACUC Protocol approval is also required. IBC approval is required before IACUC can approve your protocol. It would be helpful to obtain IBC approval before submitting your IACUC protocols, but both IACUC and IBC can be submitted at the same time.
    • An Occupational Health and Safety Program is required as part of your IBC registration review. You will be asked to indicate whether you are enrolled in the Animal and Veterinary Services OHSP (vivarium users) or if you have a self-written plan to address occupational health and safety.
    • If permits are required for your work, you will be asked to provide copies as part of your IBC registration submission.
  4. Once your IBC registration is approved, complete hands-on, project-specific training under your mentor (if applicable).

CDC Poliovirus Reporting Requirements

If you work with any of the following, read the CDC requirements below carefully:

  1. Human respiratory or fecal samples 
  2. Environmental sewage/water samples

Facilities that knowingly or unknowingly collect, use, or store poliovirus infectious materials (IM) and potentially infectious materials (PIM) samples pose a risk for re-introduction of poliovirus into communities after eradication. The University of Hawaii is required to report possession or use of any infectious or potentially infectious materials to the US National Authority for Containment (NAC). If you plan to work with any poliovirus IM or PIM, please contact biosafe@hawaii.edu so we can assist you with reporting to the US NAC.

Infectious materials (IM) include but are not limited to:

  • Cell culture isolates, viral stocks
  • Respiratory or fecal samples from oral vaccine recipients and clinical samples from confirmed poliovirus infections
  • Environmental sewage or water samples that have tested positive for the presence of wild polioviruses or the OPV/Sabin strain
  • Infected animals or samples from such animals
  • Full-length RNA or cDNA that includes capsid sequences derived from OPV/Sabin strains or wild poliovirus, unless viruses derived from them are demonstrably proven to be safer than Sabin strains.
  • OPV/Sabin strains of viruses proven to be safer than Sabin strains, but that include OPV/Sabin poliovirus capsid sequences
  • Viruses that include capsid sequences derived from wild poliovirus, unless viruses derived from them are demonstrably of viruses proven to be safer than Sabin strains as assessed by WHO

Potentially Infectious materials (PIM) include but are not limited to:

  • Respiratory secretion, fecal, or untreated environmental surface water samples collected for any purpose in a time and geographic area of OPV use or wild poliovirus (including VDPV) circulation
  • Uncharacterized enterovirus-like cell culture isolates from countries known or suspected to have circulating wild poliovirus or VDPV at the time of collection or virus stocks handled under conditions where poliovirus or OPV/Sabin strain contamination or replication is possible
  • Environmental sewage or water samples collected from a country at a time when the oral polio vaccine was in use or in which a diagnostic test has identified the presence of an OPV/Sabin strain

For a full list of definitions and examples of infectious materials and potentially infection materials, see https://www.cdc.gov/poliovirus-containment/php/labdefinitions/index.html.

Training

The Biosafety Program and IBC are committed to providing training sessions to faculty, support personnel, and students that are currently engaged or will be active participants in biomaterials research, testing, or instructional activities and emerging technologies that depend and utilize biomaterials.

Requirement

Pursuant to federal regulations and laws originating from the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA); Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); National Institutes of Health (NIH) Guidelines, etc.; industry expectations and guidance on best biosafety practices; and institutional biosafety policies and procedures, the Biosafety Program meets the Bloodborne Pathogens educational requirement by to allowing for an opportunity for interactive questions and answers with the person conducting the training session. Initial and Refresher Biosafety and Bloodborne Pathogens training are now both offered online and administered through Bioraft.

For an IBC registration application to be considered for approval, basic educational requirements must be satisfied for all proposed activities that are detailed in the registration form. Failure to satisfy the educational requirements will prevent the IBC from approving the proposal.

OUR 3 MAIN TRAINING COURSES

  1. GENERAL BIOSAFETY,
  2. BLOODBORNE PATHOGEN STANDARD, AND
  3. TRANSPORTATION OF BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS, REQUIRE ANNUAL REFRESHERS.
    (See below for more information)

ORC Training

Use your UH credentials to log into the training listed below at BioRaft. If you do not have UH credentials, contact biosafe@hawaii.edu to request a UH ID guest account for training.

ORC 101 – Initial General Biosafety

  • Administered on Bioraft (Managed by JABSOM), UH Username or Guest Account Required
  • This General training covers UH policies regarding biological safety, principles of safe lab practices, appropriate storage, transport and disposal, and decontamination of biological substances used in research
  • For all personnel who work with Biological Materials
  • Annual Refreshers Required

ORC 102 – Initial Bloodborne Pathogen Standard and Safe Sharps Use

  • Administered on Bioraft, (Managed by JABSOM), UH Username or Guest Account Required
  • The Bloodborne Pathogen Training course is intended for anyone who may have potential occupational exposure to human blood, body fluids or Other Potentially Infectious Materials (OPIM’s) or Vertebrate animals and covers risk assessment, exposure routes, Bloodborne Pathogens Exposure Control Plan, methods of compliance, risk mitigation and exposure response.
  • For all lab staff, medical workers and first responders with potential exposure to needles, sharps and Bloodborne pathogens in blood that can cause disease in humans.
  • Course must be taken during the normal working hours of 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday excluding holidays. Please direct any questions or concerns during the days and hours of Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm to Steve Case at stevec@hawaii.edu or (808) 956-8009/285-7545*
  • Annual Refreshers Required

ORC 103 – Transportation of Biological Materials

  • Administered on Bioraft, (Managed by JABSOM), UH Username or Guest Account Required
  • Anyone who ships, receives, or transports Biological Materials at the University of Hawaii MUST have had current training in the Transportation of Biological Materials (TBM).
  • Annual Refreshers Required

Emergency and Incident Response to Biohazard Spills and Releases

  • Training provided by CITI Program
  • Reviews basic emergency response situations that may occur in biomedical research laboratories. 
  • Optional

Protocol-Specific Biosafety Training

Contact biosafe@hawaii.edu

(*Training is specific for IBC registration, training required only once)

*Animal Biosafety Training

  • Training provided by CITI Program
  • For all personnel working with research animals at an ABSL2 containment level
  • Only initial training required

*Biological Toxin Safety

  • Administered by the UH Biosafety Office PowerPoint
  • For all those that work with biological toxin(s)1
  • Only initial training required
  • Lab-specific Chemical Hygiene Plan must be available an approved by both EHSO and Biosafety

1Biological toxin: Chemicals produced by living organisms that have toxic properties for another organism

Category A Infectious Materials Shipping

  • Provided by the UH Biosafety Office
  • For those shipping or receiving Category A and B infectious substances. Category A substances are those which are transported in a form that is capable of causing permanent disability, life-threatening or fatal disease in otherwise healthy humans or animals.  Most select agent microbes are prohibited at UH labs due to there being no select agent certified program or BSL/ABSL4 facilities
  • See Category A Agents Shipping List
  • Required every two (2) years

*Dual Use of Research Concern (DURC) Training

  • Training provided by CITI Program
  • For those working in research than can be used for benevolent and/or harmful purposes
  • Supplement DURC Form required to be completed in Topaz
  • Required every 3 years or when there is a major change in purpose of a protocol

*Recombinant Plant Safety

  • Administered by the UH Biosafety Office PowerPoint
  • All faculty and staff working with regulated transgenic plants and plant parts that may be subject to USDA-APHIS-BRIS and HDOA biotechnology requirements
  • Only initial training required, unless there are changes in the protocol

*Gene Drive Biosafety

  • Administered by the UH Biosafety Office PowerPoint
  • All faculty and staff generating gene drive technologies
  • Only initial training required

*NIH Recombinant DNA Guidelines

  • Training provided by CITI Program
  • All faculty and staff in research involving recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules as well as the responsibilities of institutions, Institutional Biosafety Committees (IBCs), biosafety officers (BSOs), and investigators involved in research with recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules.
  • Only initial training required, unless there are changes in the protocol

*Human Gene Transfer

  • Training provided by CITI Program
  • All faculty and staff in research involving human gene transfer (HGT), which is defined as “the deliberate transfer of recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules, or DNA or RNA derived from recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules, into human subjects.” 
  • Only initial training required, unless there are changes in the protocol

*Nanotechnology

  • Training provided by CITI Program
  • All faculty and staff in research involving nanoparticles, their applications, benefits and risks. It also provides an overview of the U.S. regulations that apply to the use of nanoparticles and hazard control strategies in the laboratory.
  • Only initial training required, unless there are changes in the protocol

*Institutional Biosafety Committee Member Training

  • Training provided by CITI Program
  • Designed for individuals who work with biohazards and for those responsible for the management or oversight of such work.
  • Only initial training required

*Zoonosis

  • Provided by Animal and Veterinary Services
  • The University Veterinarian or designee will provide training materials to the Principal Investigator to share with personnel listed on his/her protocol. The PI will be responsible to provide the names of personnel and dates to the UV of those who have completed the zoonosis training.
  • All individuals listed on an approved IACUC protocol or involved in an IACUC exempt activity that involves exposure to potential zoonosis diseases (diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans)
  • Only initial training required

Additional Educational Information

Understanding the Biological Safety Cabinet

  • PowerPoint provided by the UH Biosafety Program
  • For personnel working with materials that require the use of a biosafety cabinet

ABSL3 Training

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

World Health Organization Biosafety Video Series – Biosafety Cabinets

Biosafety Training Videos

USDA Permits

  • Training provided by CITI Program
  • Discusses the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (APHIS) Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) plant permits.

Biosafety Training Coordinator

Steven Case, MSPH
Biosafety Coordinator
stevec@hawaii.edu
biosafe@hawaii.edu

Office (808) 956-8009
Cellular (808) 285-7545