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From 2013.igem.org

Researcher and Lab Safety

Organisms

All the organisms utilized in the Haynes Lab comply with biosafety level 1 (BSL1) and do not possess the potential to cause disease in individuals. All organisms, despite having no association with disease, are treated as potential pathogens, thus personal protective equipment such as gloves, laboratory coats, and protective eyewear/goggles are used to prevent contact with bacteria and yeast samples in the lab, to prevent splashes, and to avoid sources of ultraviolet radiation.

Standard protocols were followed for all genetic manipulation, including PCR, plasmid assembly (restriction, ligation, and transformation), and DNA extraction. These protocols standardize specific safety procedures encountered in day to day labwork.

The following organisms are present in the lab and directly utilized in our project:

• Escherichia coli BL21(DE3)^{[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/bioproject/30681]}
• Escherichia coli NEB-10 Beta^{[http://www.neb.com/nebecomm/products/productc3020.asp]}
• Human Dendritic Cells

Biosafety training

All members of our team were required to attend biosafety and bloodborne pathogen training according to Arizona State policy before working in the lab. This course satisfies the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens training requirement as well as the Biosafety requirements for working with recombinant DNA. The Laboratory-Specific biosafety training checklist was followed^{[http://www.asu.edu/uagc/EHS/forms/asu_lab_specific_biosafety_training.pdf]} to ensure all team members were adequately trained.

Biological Reagents

Reagents and equipment including solid and liquid bacterial growth media, and yeast culture media, micropipette, volumetric pipette tips and centrifuge tubes are autoclave sterilized (heated to 121 degrees celsius at 15 PSI) both preceding and following use, ensuring there is no threat of waste contamination of outside the lab. This is in accordance with Arizona State University's biological waste procedures^{[http://cfo.asu.edu/ehs-biowaste-compliance-guideline]}.

Flammable Reagent Safety

All team members were required to complete fire safety training prior to working in the lab. Reagents that are potentially flammable (e.g. ethanol and isopropyl alcohol) are stored in a flame protective cabinet.

Corrosive and Noxious Reagent Safety

Reagents that have corrosive and/or noxious fumes (e.g. bleach solutions and phenol-chloroform) are kept within a chemical fume hood to prevent inhalation and physical contact.