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This document explains the University's approach to providing occupational health support for biomedical research. An occupational health program that supports staff with access to biological hazards, such as infectious agents or toxins, should aim to alleviate the risk of adverse health consequences due to potential exposures to biohazards in the workplace. Health services should be risk-based and tailored to meet the needs of individual staff and the research institution.

This document provides guidance on conducting a risk assessment, implementing a risk mitigation program, communicating during and after the assessment, and developing practices to support ongoing application of the risk assessment process to ensure safe laboratory operations.

The essential elements of the four biosafety levels for activities involving infectious microorganisms and laboratory animals are summarized in Table 1 of this chapter and discussed in Chapter 2. The levels are designated in ascending order, by degree of protection provided to personnel, the environment, and the community. Standard microbiological practices are common to all laboratories.

A comprehensive biosafety risk assessment is a key component of a successful biosafety program and should be part of an all-hazards risk assessment; it should be conducted on a continual basis to address evolving risks within the laboratory environment.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Science Policy (OSP) serves as primary advisor to the NIH Director regarding biomedical policy issues. In order to effectively promote safe and ethical practices within the research community, the OSP integrates reports from several specialized offices to develop comprehensive and pragmatic policies.

Risk assessments for arthropod research are multifaceted and focus on risks to individual researchers (harm, injury, disease) and impacts that a breach in containment may have on the community (increased/new vector reservoir, improved vector characteristics). Specific containment recommendations for arthropods deemed to be influential on public health can be found in the "Arthropod Containment Guidelines."