Biosafety Inspections

Biosafety inspections are required for all laboratories that conduct research or teaching activities involving recombinant/synthetic nucleic acid molecules and/or biohazardous materials. These activities also require registration of a Biosafety Protocol with the Institutional Biosafety Committee. Refer to the Institutional Biosafety Committee website for more details on Biosafety Protocol registration.

Scheduling a Biosafety Inspection

The Biosafety Program will reach out to labs when inspections need to be renewed. You can also schedule your Biosafety Inspection here. If you run into any scheduling issues, contact the Biosafety Program for assistance.

When are Biosafety Inspections required?

The Biosafety Program conducts inspections before initial approval of new research or teaching activities and periodically thereafter. Biosafety Inspections are renewed based on the risk of activities conducted:

  • Biosafety Level 1 (BSL-1) Laboratories: every 2 years
  • Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2) or higher Laboratories: every year

How do I check my Biosafety Inspection records?

You can check the date and results of your past biosafety inspections online using the instructions below.

  1. Log in to LabCliq using your ePantherID and password: LabCliq
  2. In the lefthand menu, select “Complete Inspections”
  3. If needed, toggle the filter option to “Show All” and update the date window to the time period you’d like to view. Biosafety Inspections will be identified in the “Type” column.

Preparing for your Biosafety Inspection

Review and complete the UWM Biosafety Inspection Checklist. This checklist will help you identify and address common issues in advance of your inspection. Additional steps you can take to prepare for your inspection include:

Review guidance documents

The below guidance documents outline standard biosafety expectations for different laboratory biosafety levels:

    1. UWM Biosafety Manual – see Chapters 3-5
    2. NIH Guidelines – see Appendices G, K, L, & M
    3. CDC/NIH BMBL – see Sections IV & V

Review biological materials

Review the biological materials in your lab, such as samples, cultures, plasmids, vectors, etc., to ensure they are properly identified, labeled, and stored.

Manage biological waste

Make sure all biological waste is properly contained. Decontaminate and dispose of any biohazardous or recombinant waste that is ready for disposal. If any sharps waste containers have been filled to 3/4 full, close the containers and request a hazardous waste pickup.

Organize biosafety documentation

Biosafety documentation should be up-to-date and available for inspection. This may include approved Biosafety Protocols, lab-specific training records, exposure control plans, and/or biological inventories.