The Biosafety program serves to maintain safe conditions in research by containing biohazardous agents. Biosafety helps to prevent harm to humans, animals and the environment.
This page connects you with many topics within biosafety. You can reach out to EH&S Biosafety for questions or to request a consultation at ehsbio@uw.edu.
Biological Use Authorization (BUA)
Biological Use Authorization (BUA) grants approval for work with biohazards. Learn how to obtain or update your BUA.
UW Biosafety Manual
The UW Biosafety Manual provides detailed information about policies and safe practices for work with biohazardous agents.
Biological Risk Assessment
Each Principal Investigator (PI) is responsible to identify biological hazards and determine appropriate containment and laboratory practices.
Biohazard Transport Policy
This policy details how to safely transport biohazardous agents and specimens within buildings and between buildings.
Biohazard Warning Sign
The biohazard warning sign communicates biohazardous agents in use and other requirements for BSL-2 and higher labs.
Biosafety Cabinets
Proper use of biosafety cabinets can protect personnel, products, and the environment. Learn how to purchase or relocate a cabinet.
Exposure Response
The Exposure Response Poster details how to respond in the event of a biological exposure, needlestick, or other or injury.
Biohazardous Spills
Learn how to safely decontaminate and clean biohazardous spills, create a biohazard spill kit, and download the Spill Response Poster.
Biohazardous Waste
Proper identification, packaging, and treatment are critical to ensure biohazardous items do not enter the general waste stream.
Biosafety Laboratory Inspections
EH&S biosafety officers inspect locations where biohazards are handled to ensure safe lab practices and facilities, to provide guidance on biosafety issues, to verify training, and to facilitate communication between researchers and EH&S. Refer to our inspection checklists below to help prepare for your biosafety lab visit. Other specialized checklists are available upon request.
Biohazard Warning Labels
Affix a biohazard warning label or sticker to any storage, transport, or waste container used for biohazards. You can order biohazard labels or stickers from laboratory supply vendors. EH&S Biosafety can send a few via campus mail. Email us at ehsbio@uw.edu to request.
Sharps Safety
Resources are available on the Sharps Safety page to help prevent needlesticks and sharps injuries, including suggestions for substitutions for sharps and safe sharps devices.
Disinfectants and Decontamination
Decontamination eliminates microbial contamination or reduces it to a safe level. The Biosafety Manual details procedures for decontamination in Section 4. When selecting a disinfectant, consider the biological agents in use, is a dilution required vs ready-to-use, the contact time, and compatibility with surfaces and other chemicals.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintains a list of registered antimicrobial products. Contact EH&S Biosafety at ehsbio@uw.edu for help.
More About EH&S Biosafety
Safe biological research includes appropriate facilities and equipment, adequate training, proper laboratory practices and safe working conditions that help to prevent the release of biohazardous agents. Biosafety protects the UW community of students, faculty, staff and visitors and helps maintain our academic excellence and integrity and ensure research funds from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other sources.
The Biosafety program includes oversight for compliance and safety, training and outreach, institutional support for incident response, building design, and collaboration with UW committees such as the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and Institutional Review Board (IRB). EH&S biosafety officers can assist with training, consultation and help with any biosafety questions.
Emergency Response and Reporting
UW personnel are required to submit an incident report to Environmental Health & Safety for any work-related event that results in an injury, illness, exposure to hazardous materials, property damage, or fire, regardless of the work location. UW personnel are highly encouraged to submit work-related near-miss events. Visit the Incident Reporting page for more information.
Notify EH&S immediately (after first aid/medical care/emergency services) if the incident involves recombinant or synthetic nucleic acids or genetically modified organisms.
- During EH&S business hours: (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday to Friday) call (206) 221-7770.
- Outside of EH&S business hours: call the UW Police Department at (206) 685-8973 to reach EH&S on-call staff.
Frequently asked questions
If your lab works with biohazards, it is required to use a laundry vendor that can provide medical laundering services. Do not attempt to launder coats yourself in the lab or at home. Check with your department first to see if departmental laundry service already exists.
When selecting a laundry vendor, confirm that they provide medical laundry service. Medical laundering uses cycles of chemicals, heat, and mechanical agitation to ensure biohazards are adequately removed. Medical laundering removes most vegetative pathogens but does not make the coats sterile. The University’s vendor for lab coat cleaning, MediCleanse, can provide medical laundering services. Other medical laundering services can be used, but not all laundry vendors provide medical laundering. More information on requirements for medical laundry are available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
You can get them from laboratory supply vendors. Or we can send you a few via campus mail. Email us at ehsbio@uw.edu to request stickers.
Procedures for moving or vacating a laboratory are detailed in the Laboratory Safety Manual Section 10.
Arrange for chemical waste to be collected at Hazardous Chemical Waste Disposal.
Here are some forms you will need to vacate a laboratory:
Follow the decontamination instructions on the Notice of Laboratory Equipment Decontamination Form. Surplus will require that you decontaminate equipment/items and attach the form. UW Surplus defines what items can be accepted for surplus.
You cannot recycle anything that contained biohazards (including recombinant or synthetic nucleic acids), hazardous chemical residues, or radioactive materials. You also cannot recycle items that could puncture plastic bags, such as pipets and pipet tips.
Non-contaminated pipet tip boxes or trays may be recycled through vendors or in mixed recycling waste. According to UW Recycling, the only other items that can be recycled are standard recyclables (e.g., paper, cardboard, metal, glass, and plastic food containers).
If your lab work includes handling hazardous materials (or is in an area where hazardous materials are being used) and you want to wear a mask for COVID-19 prevention, wear a disposable medical/procedure mask along with other appropriate PPE.
If you wear a mask for work with biohazards, whether required or by choice, a disposable medical/procedure mask is required at BSL-2 and higher. Do not wear cloth masks during BSL-2 and higher work. Dispose of the mask following work, as it could have become contaminated. You can replace your disposable mask with a clean face covering of your choice if you want to wear a mask outside the lab. Read this article on the EH&S website for more information.