INSTITUTIONAL BIOSAFETY COMMITTEE
Guidelines
Charge
The committee reports to the Executive Vice President for Research on
matters related to infectious diseases and the use of biological agents
in research, clinical and education activities at UT-Houston. Specific
tasks include:
- Recommending the Executive
Vice President for Research policies and procedures to ensure the health
and safety of all faculty, staff, students, patients, and visitors within
UT-Houston; and to ensure compliance with all federal, state and local
statues, regulations, procedures and principles relating to the prevention
and/or control of infectious diseases and the procurement, storage,
use, and disposal of biological agents used in UT-Houston's research,
clinical and educational programs.
- Certifying investigators, their
laboratories and/or their practices for work at graded biosafety levels.
Activities identified as Biosafety Level 3 and greater may not proceed
without the written consent of the Committee prior to initiation of
work.
- Ensuring UT-Houston's compliance
with NIH guidelines and assess the safety recombinant DNA research experiments
and any potential risk to public health or the environment.
- Overseeing the development
and maintenance of written biological safety/infectious disease control
plans that minimize exposures for all affected personnel through the
use of proper engineering controls and work practices; to make the plan
available to the institutional community; to recommend updates to the
plan, as necessary. Additionally, overseeing the development and implementation
of educational programs related to infectious diseases and biological
safety.
- Overseeing the monitoring
follow-up of those persons testing positive for identified pathogens.
- Identifying tasks that carry
the risk for transmission and the occupational groups involved.
- Reviewing instances of TB,
HBV, HIV, or other potentially infectious diseases, to identify exposure-prone
procedures, and to determine those circumstances, if any, under which
an infected health care worker may perform such procedures.
The Environmental Health & Safety Department
is designated as the monitoring and effector arm of the Institutional
Biosafety Committee.
Chair
Designated by the President on recommendation from the Executive Vice
President for Researchfrom the membership.
Membership
Full Members: the committee shall consist of no fewer than five full members,
of whom;
- At least one member from each
school with appropriate infectious diseases expertise
- Three or more faculty members
with experience in rDNA technology and/or biological safety and containment(*)
- Two community members(*)
- A student member(*)
Ex Officio Members: in addition, the following are
designated as members without vote
- Representative from Risk Management/Legal
Affairs
- Representative from Health
Promotion Services
- Executive Director, Environmental
Health & Safety
- Executive Vice President for
Research
- Representative from Harris
County Psychiatric Center
(*)required by the NIH "Guidelines for Research
Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules"
Term of Membership
Staggered two-year cycles.
Send comments or questions to Robert.Jenkins@uth.tmc.edu
Last Modified:
by reg_tech@uth.tmc.edu
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