Clemson Home

EHS Home

Environment

Occupational Health

Biological Safety

Chemical Safety

Radiation Safety

Satellite Facilities

Comprehensive EHS Plan

On-line training

SPCC/Storm Water

EHS Contact List

You are here:

Aren't you glad someone knows where you are?

Biological Safety

There are two sets of regulations governing Biological Safety at Clemson:

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Blood Borne Pathogen Standard (29 CFR 1910.1030) governs employee exposure to blood borne diseases such as HIV (AIDS) and Hepatitis B; the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have a variety of regulations relating to biological agents and their storage, use, and release to the environment.

OSHA requires the use of “Universal precautions where in all human body fluid, cells, and tissues are presumed to be infectious and treated as such; also included in this are infected animals and contaminated equipment such as needles and pipettes (often referred to as “sharps”).

You may request a biohazardous waste pick up via this form.

Please review:

Research with Hazardous Agents covers approvals necessary for working with hazardous agents at Clemson

Hazardous Materials Transport covers the transporatation of hazardous materials both on and off campus

Hazardous Materials Storage covers storage of hazardous materials

The NIH, CDC, and USDA have similar universal precaution requirements for work with biological agents not covered by OSHA. Of special importance are the CDC/USDA regulations governing the use of “Select Agents.” No Select Agents may be brought in to any Clemson Facility without the express written permission of the Biological Safety Officer and prior approval of the IBC. Failure to notify can result in the individual being turned in to the FBI for criminal prosecution.

The CDC/USDA Select Agents are:

Viruses

  1. Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus
  2. Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus
  3. Ebola viruses
  4. Equine Morbillivirus
  5. Lassa fever virus
  6. Marburg virus
  7. Rift Valley fever virus
  8. South American Haemorrhagic fever viruses (Junin, Machupo, Sabia, Flexal, Guanarito)
  9. Tick-borne encephalitis complex viruses
  10. Variola major virus (Smallpox virus)
  11. Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis virus
  12. Viruses causing hantavirus pulmonary syndrome
  13. Yellow fever virus

Exemptions: Vaccine strains of viral agents (Junin Virus strain candid #1, Rift Valley fever virus strain MP-12, Venezuelan Equine encephalitis virus strain TC-83, Yellow fever virus strain 17-D) are exempt.

Bacteria

  1. Bacillus anthracis
  2. Brucella abortus, B. melitensis, B. suis
  3. Burkholderia (Pseudomonas) mallei
  4. Burkholderia (Pseudomonas) pseudomallei
  5. Clostridium botulinum
  6. Francisella tularensis
  7. Yersinia pestis

Exemptions: vaccine strains as described in Title 9 CFR, 78.1 are exempt.

Rickettsiae

  1. Coxiella burnetii
  2. Rickettsia prowazekii
  3. Rickettsia rickettsii

Fungi

  1. Coccidioides immitis

Toxins

  1. Abrin
  2. Aflatoxins
  3. Botulinum toxins
  4. Clostridium perfringens epsilon toxin
  5. Conotoxins
  6. Diacetoxyscirpenol
  7. Ricin
  8. Saxitoxin
  9. Shigatoxin
  10. Staphylococcal enterotoxins
  11. Tetrodotoxin
  12. T-2 toxin

USDA

  1. African Horse Sickness virus
  2. African Swine Fever
  3. Akabane Virus
  4. Avian Influenza Virus (Highly Pathogenic)
  5. Blue Tongue Virus
  6. Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy agent
  7. Camel Pox virus
  8. Classical Swine Fever
  9. Cowdria ruminantium (Heart Water)
  10. Foot and Mouth Disease Virus
  11. Goat Pox Virus
  12. Japanese Encephalitis Virus
  13. Lump Skin Disease Virus
  14. Malignant Catarrhal Fever
  15. Menangle Virus
  16. Mycoplasmia Capricolu/M.F 38/M.Mycoides Capri Contagious Caprine Pleuropneumonia Agent
  17. Newcastle Disease Virus (Exotic)
  18. Peste des Petitis Ruminants
  19. Rinderpest Virus
  20. Sheep Pox
  21. Swine vesicular disease virus
  22. Vesicular stomatitis virus

Clemson University has a Biological Safety Manual based on the most current references in biosafety. Contact EHS for a copy.

Employees desiring more information than is presented here should consult the Biological Safety Manual, or an Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) staff member.

EHS currently provides free biohazardous waste and sharps collection containers, plus free disposal. For assistance with disposal of biohazardous wastes, contact the Environmental Compliance Officer at 656-1770 or the Environmental Compliance Officer at 656-7309.