Chapter 3: Training

The Biosafety Office of the Environmental Health & Safety Department (EHS) for West Virginia University offers Biosafety related trainings.  All Faculty, Staff, and Students working with biohazards, potentially infectious materials, or recombinant and synthetic nucleic acids are required to take applicable training prior to beginning research, and also applicable refreshers, as needed.

 

    1.    PROCEDURE:

      1.1.  Animal BSL-2 (ABSL-2)

ABSL-2 training is required once, prior to working with animals at BSL2. ABSL-2 training is offered in-person, as part of the in-person Blood Borne Pathogen and Biosafety course.  A listing of currently scheduled training dates can be found in the Biosafety section of the EHS website (http://www.ehs.wvu.edu).

      1.2.  Biosafety Training

Biosafety training is required every three years for anyone working with biohazards at BSL2 or higher.  This training focuses on general biosafety principles as well as Biosafety Level 2 (BSL2) practices.  Biosafety training is offered as an in-person training, or as an online refresher in SOLE.  Multiple in-person training sessions are offered monthly at the WVU Health Sciences Center.  An in-person training must be taken for your first training. A listing of currently scheduled training dates can be found in the Biosafety section of the EHS website (http://www.ehs.wvu.edu).

      1.3.  Blood Borne Pathogen (BBP) Training

Annual Blood Borne Pathogen training is required to comply with the OSHA Blood Borne Pathogen Standard (29 CFR 1910.1030) for anyone working with human blood, tissue, or other potentially infectious materials, such as saliva, sweat, and human cell lines.  BBP training is offered in the following formats: In-person training and online refresher in SOLE. Your initial BBP training must be an In-person training session. A listing of currently scheduled training dates can be found in the Biosafety section of the EHS website (http://www.ehs.wvu.edu).

      1.4.  High Containment Area (HCA) Training

In order to gain access to the HCA, additional training related to BSL-3 and the HCA lab is necessary.  The curriculum includes classroom and hands-on training.  Contact the Biosafety Office to schedule HCA training.  Current contact information can be found in the Biosafety section of the EHS website (http://www.ehs.wvu.edu).

      1.5.  Q fever Training

Q fever training is required for anyone who will be exposed to sheep.  Contact the Biosafety Office to schedule Q fever training. Current contact information can be found in the Biosafety section of the EHS website (http://www.ehs.wvu.edu).

      1.6.  Recombinant DNA(rDNA) Training

Recombinant DNA training is required every three years for anyone working with recombinant or synthetic DNA.  It is offered online through SOLE.  Contact the Biosafety Office for enrollment in the rDNA training. Current contact information can be found in the Biosafety section of the EHS website (http://www.ehs.wvu.edu).

      1.7.  Shipping of Biological Materials

Training in the proper shipping of biological materials is required prior to shipping biological materials from any lab within the University.  Training is completed in two parts.  First, complete “Biosafety for Shipping and Receiving Biological Materials” module in CITI.  Second, prior to shipping the first package of material, contact the biosafety office to schedule a hands-on training and assistance with packing the material. 

      1.8.  Specialized and Custom training

Contact the Biosafety Office for any specialized or custom training needs. Current contact information can be found in the Biosafety section of the EHS website (http://www.ehs.wvu.edu).  The Biosafety Office will create or modify a training session.  Some examples include the use and proper disposal of sharps, human body fluid cleanup response, agent specific, course specific, or protocol specific training.