National Biosafety Stewardship Month is a period during which institutions, such as UMBC, are encouraged to focus efforts on promoting awareness of investigator responsibilities and sustaining a culture of safety/responsibility in life science research. Thematic elements of enhancing a culture of safety/responsibility include:
Training:
- Enhancing biosafety training for all staff involved in both the conduct and oversight of life sciences research; and
- Promoting the development of comprehensive Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and ensuring all personnel are familiar with those SOPs.
Engagement:
- Engaging senior institutional research administrators to support and communicate the importance of biosafety;
- Encouraging principal investigators to take an active role with respect to biosafety in their laboratories; and
- Encouraging institutions to foster the development of non-punitive incident reporting systems that provide lessons learned regarding optimal responses to incidents and identification of strategies to minimize risks.
Transparency:
- Highlighting successes the institution has had in conducting vital research responsibly through a safe and ethical framework; and
- Promoting public transparency regarding institutional oversight of biosafety.
A list of educational resources and FAQs on NBSM have been developed and are available on the Office of Science Policy website.
For more information about biosafety stewardship contact Environmental Safety and Health at safety@umbc.edu or ORPC at compliance@umbc.edu.