Safety/Responsibility

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Responsibility

All Participants

All participants are responsible for working safely in the laboratory, and for ensuring that your project complies with local laws and university/institutional guidelines. The iGEM Safety Committee is not a substitute for the biosafety regulations of your country, or for the lab safety guidelines of your university. By approving your forms (About Our Lab form, About Our Project form, Check-Ins, Final Safety Form), the iGEM Safety Committee is only affirming that your team has permission to participate in iGEM. We cannot certify that your project is completely safe (even "safe" organisms, like E. coli K-12, can present some risks!). Likewise, we cannot certify that your project is in compliance with all applicable rules and regulations of your university/institution, local government, national government, and/or international treaties.

Students

Students are responsible for:

  • Working safely in the laboratory
  • Carefully considering safety issues in their projects, and consulting instructors or the iGEM Safety Committee as needed
  • Completing safety forms
  • Striving to be conscientious members of the synthetic biology community

Instructors

Instructors are responsible for:

  • Teaching their students to work safely in the laboratory, and answering questions about safety
  • Being actively involved in the development of the iGEM project
  • Reviewing and certifying the Final Safety Form
  • Ensuring the project is in good standing with the biosafety authorities of the host university/institution

The iGEM Safety Committee

The iGEM Safety Committee is responsible for:

  • Working with iGEM participants to strengthen working safely and responsibly in synthetic biology
  • Reviewing and approving safety forms promptly
  • Performing safety checks on Registry parts

Safety Committee

The iGEM Safety Committee is a group of experts in biosafety, biosecurity, and risk assessment. Its members come from diverse areas of industry, academia, and government. The committee helps create iGEM's safety program and gives expert advice on potential safety issues in the competition.

Committee Members