Team:Ecuador/Safety
Lab Safety
During the realization of our project, no hazardous situations occurred while working on the lab. All of the members that were collaborating had a previous experience on laboratory work and knowledge about biosafety rules and protocols. We took into account that the laboratory work is always supervised by a member of the team and never performed individually.
Safe Project Design
It was a crucial factor to guarantee that the system that we developed will not cause damage to the environment or be potentially harmfull for the people working with it. For this reason, we chose an organism that is easy to manipulate and that is at a level of biosafety 1; such is the case of E. coli. Another advantage of working with this agency is that it was not required a special permit given by iGEM.
The security of the project is also guaranteed in the fact that the parties involved in the development of the functionalized cellulose-based biomaterial for bone and cartilage which are described in the design, are not considered as potentially risky.
Safety standards established and followed by team members
- Use of personal security equipment: with the aim of preventing any risk of infection or other injury that can be caused while working on the lab, we ensured that all of the members wear gloves, mask, a lab coat, glasses if necessary, and we tried to do our job in a flow chamber when possible.
- Management of reagents and materials: regarding the use of the reagents that we use throughout the project, we established a norm to review the hazard category of the reagent, and store it appropriately. All the materials that had contact with biological material were autoclaved after use. The waste management instructions established by our university were followed.
- General Lab Safety: We carry out our work in the laboratories of Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas ESPE, where control of the facilities and emergency equipment is periodically carried out. We make sure to keep the laboratory in aseptic conditions, decontaminating workplaces with alcohol or sablon and following good waste management.