Safety by design
Safety by design was implemented in various parts of our project, in order to 'design out' hazards that may pose a risk as a result of the project. This section will explore how we approached this implementation, with a particular emphasis on: Operator safety & Biological Containment
Safety Design in the Gene Gun
The operating mechanism of a Gene Gun carries inherent risks, which were considered in the design stage. Of course, no test runs were attempted until a full risk assessment had been conducted, and reviewed by qualified and experienced engineers.
Air Pressure Risks
Commercial Gene Guns typically operate at pressures of over
1300psi, and component failure at this pressure presents hazards with very severe consequences. In order to combat this hazard, the gene gun was designed to operate between
100-140psi, avoiding, or at the very least mitigating against, this hazard.
However, the risk of component failure and debris created by using pressurized air is not completely eliminated by design. A transparent protective screen was added, to provide an extra layer of protection for the user. This lowers the risk to the operator, and is considered a vital part of the device.
Safety by design in the Growth Facility
The hazards posed by a growth facility are somewhat more subtle than the gene gun, but were nevertheless considered.
Biological Containment
The design of our growth facility led to a very low risk of environmental biological contamination. Simply, the strains grow on a gel within a petridish -- hence the containment is managed by the petri dish (which can of course be further sealed). Consequently, the growth facility does not increase the risk of biological release over conventional growth methods.
Electrical Safety
Electricity presents a serious hazard to the operator. In this case, this risk was mitigated by using an external power supply (compliant to UK and EU regulations), and using a low voltage DC source to power the device itself. This power supply was grounded, and thoroughly checked before connected to UK mains (low voltage AC - 230V)