Safety
Measures in the lab
Wet lab
Our experimental work is done in a GMO class 2 laboratory at the Department Biochemical and Microbial Technology at Ghent University.
The Faculty of Bioscience Engineering at Ghent University, where our lab is situated, has its own facultary Biosafety Committee (only Dutch version of the website available). This committee makes sure the researchers are aware of the International, European and Belgian legal framework concerning biosafety. All activities of this committee take place in close consultation with, amongst others, the facultary Environment, Hygiene and Safety Committee, the facultary Ethics Committee and with some Rectoral Services.
In addition we have committed ourselves to both the national legal and ethical requirements compliance and the international and EU regulation compliance:
- National legal and ethical requirements compliance
Environmental regulation: Decree of the Flemish Government of 6 February 2004 amending the Decree of 6 February 1991 and the Decree of 1st June 1995 “Besluit van de Vlaamse regering van 6 februari 2004 tot wijziging van het besluit van de Vlaamse regering van 6 februari 1991 houdende vaststelling van het Vlaams reglement betreffende de milieuvergunning, en van het besluit van de Vlaamse regering van 1 juni 1995 houdende algemene en sectorale bepalingen inzake milieuhygiëne” - EU regulation compliance
Directive 2015/412/EC amending Directive 2001/18/EC on the deliberate release of GMOs into the environment, Directive 2009/41/EC on contained use of genetically modified micro-organisms. Regulation (EC) 1946/2003 on transboundary movements of GMOs, Regulation (EC) 1829/2003, Regulation (EC) 1830/2003 - International regulation
The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity (signed by the Community and its Member States in 2000. The Council concluded the Protocol on behalf of the Community through the adoption of Decision 2002/628/EC) The precautionary principle - No. 15 of the Rio Declaration adopted at the 1992 UN Conference on the Human Environment and Development.
Every person who works in one of the labs of Ghent University must know and act according to certain regulations. This means that each team member signed the Laboratory and workplace regulation in which he/she declares to have taken note of these regulations, to have received a specimen of these regulations and to follow to the guidelines/obligations who arise out of these regulations. This also includes always wearing a lab coat, safety glasses and gloves when necessary. Guidelines more specific for working with GMOs can be found in the Biosafety in the laboratory document provided by the Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology.