Team:Cardiff Wales/Safety
Safety in the lab
For our project we worked in the Sir Martin Evans building in a communal lab. In order to work here we had to pass the University mandated GMO safety course, a one day event which covered the basics to work safely with GMOs, and how to set up a safe working space. For more details, please visit [link here]
Safety in the real world
Initially in our project we planned a workshop at a local science amusement center called 'Techniquest', which was used dead GMO material, which we believed would satisfy the H&S requirements. However, on consulting our H&S officer at the University we were prevented from doing so, on grounds that any GMO material alive or dead can only be used in an approved space, of which Techniquest was not one. This did rattle our Outreach efforts somewhat - 2 weeks of planning down the drain but we were aware of the risks, and it shows no matter how many boxes you tick when it comes to GMO safety there is no such things as 'perfectly safe'.
Please visit the main Safety page to find this year's safety requirements & deadlines, and to learn about safe & responsible research in iGEM.
On this page of your wiki, you should write about how you are addressing any safety issues in your project. The wiki is a place where you can go beyond the questions on the safety forms, and write about whatever safety topics are most interesting in your project. (You do not need to copy your safety forms onto this wiki page.)
Safe Project Design
Does your project include any safety features? Have you made certain decisions about the design to reduce risks? Write about them here! For example:
- Choosing a non-pathogenic chassis
- Choosing parts that will not harm humans / animals / plants
- Substituting safer materials for dangerous materials in a proof-of-concept experiment
- Including an "induced lethality" or "kill-switch" device
Safe Lab Work
What safety procedures do you use every day in the lab? Did you perform any unusual experiments, or face any unusual safety issues? Write about them here!
Safe Shipment
Did you face any safety problems in sending your DNA parts to the Registry? How did you solve those problems?
