Overview

The 2024 UAlberta iGEM team takes pride in its stringent and thorough approach to safety in accordance with the University of Alberta's Environment, Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS) Unit, and is in line with Canada and Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) regulations. The Team established early expectations to create and maintain a safe and informed environment that values safe working practices. Furthermore, these practices and expectations extend beyond work inside the lab, and take into consideration the safety of the public and the environment, who may be affected by our work.

Before Coming in the Lab

All team members working in the lab acknowledge the preponderance of maintaining a safe and inclusive work environment while conducting experiments that utilize a range of tools, equipment, chemical reagents, and live organisms. Before working in the laboratories of Dr. Lisa Stein and Dr. David Stuart, all Wet-Lab members were required to complete the following lab safety modules from EHS:

1. Concepts in Biosafety Lab and Chemical Safety
2. WHMIS Training
3. Working Safely at U of A
4. Workplace Violence and Harassment Prevention

Additionally, Wet-Lab leads coordinated with the Safety Officer of the Department of Biological Sciences to train team members on key machinery like the autoclave.

Working in the Lab

Safety Features

Experimentations were conducted in the Stein Lab and the Stuart Lab. Both laboratories are equipped with their own important safety characteristics. The following are safety features found within the lab spaces:

1. Biosafety Cabinet
2. Fire Extinguisher
3. First Aid Kit
4. Spill Kits
5. Flame Retardant Benches
6. Eye Wash Station*
7. Safety Shower

_{*Located either within the lab or within close proximity to lab spaces.}

As well, a laboratory tour was provided for any students visiting for the first time. This training was intended to show the location of hazards, special disposal bins, and the laboratory safety features and rules. This training also provided specific instruction concerning safety precautions during routine lab activities. All team members conducting lab work were supervised by an approved Advisor with relevant safety experience. Additionally, all lab members were educated on relevant University of Alberta services such as Safewalk, University of Alberta Police Services, and emergency response services.

Personal Protective Equipment

The laboratories where our team worked are both classified as Containment Level 2. The organisms used (E. coli strains DH5ɑ, Rosetta-gami, BL21, and K12), are Risk Level 1 organisms. Despite this, our team still adhered to the safety requirements of a Level 2 lab:

1. Personal Protective Equipment: When in the laboratory, it was required to wear long pants, closed toed shoes, a lab coat, safety goggles, and gloves.
2. Equipment and Protocol Training: Whenever new protocols were conducted, or unfamiliar equipment used, additional training from mentors was received.
3. Chemical and Biosafety: Chemicals were stored in appropriate containers and locations with other compatible reagents. The SDS of reagents used were consulted for proper disposal. Biohazards were stored in biological waste bags, and were sterilized by EHS. Working surfaces were disinfected with 70% ethanol, or isopropanol, and decontaminated with 10% bleach.
4. Safety Equipment: Eyewash stations were checked weekly in accordance with federal regulations, while safety showers were inspected by EHS personnel.

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

The 2024 UAlberta iGEM team dedicated effort to create detailed standard operating procedures (SOPs) including detailed information on relevant chemicals, tools, devices, and step-by-step instructions to enable safe lab work. The team is composed of students from different departments and faculties with a range of lab experience and comfortability. To ensure all lab work was done efficiently and, most importantly, safely, these SOPs were made available to all students and fostered an environment of learning and growth. You can find our SOPs here Standard Operating Features
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Waste Disposal

All solutions, plates, and cultures were accurately labeled to ensure proper disposal after use. Bacterial cultures were promptly sterilized via bleach and properly disposed of. Agar plates, Eppendorf tubes, and falcon tubes were disposed of in specifically labeled (biohazard) waste bins which were subsequently sterilized by autoclaving. Waste from protein purification and visualization protocols were processed through Chematix guidelines and under the supervision of Lab Safety Officers. Gels, which either contained or were soaked in ethidium bromide, were disposed of in specifically labeled EtBr waste bins along with the gloves used in the process. The buffer the gels were run in was disposed of in liquid EtBr waste. The EtBr waste was subsequently passed onto HSE to be further processed by the proper experienced professionals.