Biosafety

Biologiska risker

Biological risks can be infectious substances, genetically modified microorganisms (GMM), blood & tissue, research animals, invasive species, or waste thereof, which can have a detrimental impact on human health or the environment at large.

There is always a risk of infection when working with tissue, bodily fluids, or pure infectious agents, especially so during aerosol formation, and work with needles and scalpels. Vaccination can be a good complement to the regular protective measures taken. It is however important to remember that vaccination does not have 100% efficacy.

The general guideline is that all those how work with human tissue or bodily fluids should be vaccinated against Hepatitis A & B. The need for vaccination is however always determined by the employee and closest supervisor through a risk assessment.

The following aspects should be included in the risk assessment:

• The infectious substance
• The type of work
• The health status of the employee
• The efficacy of the vaccine
• The side effects of the vaccine

If the risk assessment indicates that vaccination is suitable, then send the risk assessment to the prefect/equivalent, how in turn books vaccination according to the institutions routines.

The employer pays for the vaccination, not the employee.

In case of an accident, it is important to have a written routine, which dictates what to do in different situations; e.g. how to handle contact with blood or infectious agents. If you suspect a laboratory related infection, contact your supervisor and if needed the hospitals infection ward 018-611 56 08. Furthermore, the employer is required to document when exposure to infectious substances in risk class 3 or 4 has been ascertained in connection to incidents, accidents or other undesirable events. See infection risk regulation AFS2018:4, § 11 for details.

Information on what to do in case of contact with blood Pdf, 5 MB.

Permits for import and usage of non-human pathogenic biological samples* for research and education are often handled by Jordbruksverket (Swedish Board of Agriculture). In order to reduce administration and costs for individual research groups, Uppsala University has an umbrella permit for import and usage of some biological samples* for research and education from Jordbruksverket.

This means that individual research groups do not have to apply for these permits, but simply fill out this form and e-mail it to the biosafety coordinator before each import. The research groups are then sent an internal permit and the permit number that suppliers sometimes demand before sending certain orders. The university then sends a central report to Jordbruksverket each semester.

Form for request of a copy of import and usage and premit for some biological samples from the department of agriculture Word, 18 kB.

*

• Animal by-products.
• Dead lower animalia which are not endangered.
• N.B. Human-pathogens should not be registered here as import permit for these are included in the report/permit to Arbetsmiljöverket (Swedish Work Environment Authority)

The Uppsala biorisk committee establishes general guidelines for work with biological risks. The chairman of the biorisk committee is Professor Staffan Svärd, and the biosafety coordinator acts as secretary and contact-person to whom researchers can come with all questions concerning biorisk, e.g. handling of infectious substances, Genetically Modified Microorganisms, Invasive species, and contact with government agencies, etc.

Members of the Biorisk Committee:

• Magnus Essand, Professor at the Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology
• Henrik Gradstedt (secretary, contact-person), Biosafety coordinator at the Buildings Division
• Joakim Holmdahl, Centrumchef CFVUU
• Peter Lindblad, Professor at the Department of Chemistry - Ångström Laboratory
• Anna Maria Näslund, Working environment engineer at the Buildings Division
• Stefan Schwartz, Professor at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology
• Mikael Sellin, Docent at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology
• Staffan Svärd (Chairman), Professor at the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology
• Irene Söderhäll, Professor at the Department of Organismal Biology