Theme: Biological Safety

An annual event for Biological Safety Officers (BSOs).

This is a CAA approved 3-day training course and open book examination, covering the requirements of the IATA Dangerous Goods by Air Regulations. Someone possessing this qualification will be an asset to their department as carriers ask for more assurances about the packaging and labelling of cargoes.

Note that each participant will need the use of an up to date IATA manual (changes annually) for this course. A few copies will be available on loan but others will have to purchase or borrow one independently.

There will be a 0930 start on the first day but subsequent start, finish and break times will be a matter of negotiation with the trainer.

There is unlikely to be another full IATA course organised centrally until 2021.

An annual event for Biological Safety Officers (BSOs).

A live online Zoom event.

A video presentation on The Management of Biological Safety at the University of Cambridge for new Postgraduate students.

A Raven password is needed to access this online course, although you can log in as a Friend. If you don't already have a Raven password please visit http://www.cam.ac.uk/cs/docs/faq/n5.html

An online course will guide you through the requirements of the regulations and introduce you to the University's risk assessment proformas.

Sources of information and advice will be provided and some key aspects to consider in assigning the activity class will be highlighted. You will be given some examples to help you produce a risk assessment of sufficient detail to enable you and your local GM safety committee to decide on the correct activity class of the project.

At the end you will be required to test your knowledge by completing the quiz.

A Raven password is needed to access this online course, although you can log in as a Friend. If you don't already have a Raven password please visit http://www.cam.ac.uk/cs/docs/faq/n5.html

Principal Investigators, research group heads and supervisors have duties and responsibilities both in law and under University Policy where the health and safety of group members (and others that may be influenced by their research activities) are concerned. It is mandatory that all PIs, group heads and supervisors attend this course which will quickly inform you of what you must do to comply with the law, keep your staff and students safe and reduce the possibility of litigation, thus reducing the overall risk to the University.

A prior risk assessment of all work with genetically modified organisms, from bacteria to animals, is a requirement by law. This course will cover the legal background and your duties, provide guidance on the Hazard Groups and containment levels, explain the notification system and guide you through an example GM risk assessment. At least a basic understanding of biology and genetic techniques is assumed, which will allow you to get the full benefit of this course.

Important notice: All IATA expiry dates from the 1 March 2020 onward are currently extended to the 1 November 2020 (and may be extended again if necessary), so all the existing qualifications remain valid. Our IATA training provider does not have an on-line version of this training available - it will be re-scheduled when possible.

This is a one-day specialised CAA approved training course aimed at those departments shipping biological materials by air (IATA). It will use the 2020 IATA Regulations and will cover the full classification, packaging, labelling and documentation required to ship the following goods:

• Infectious Substances (Category A)
• Biological substances (Category B) (e.g. samples, vaccines, bloods, etc)
• Exempted goods – (e.g. cell lines, DNA)
• Genetically Modified Organisms

It will also cover the requirements for the supplementary materials encountered, such as dry-ice, dry-shippers and samples that are in small amounts of potentially flammable, or toxic, preservative fluids.

Successful candidates will receive a training certificate valid for two years, restricted only to the materials described above.

For completeness, transport by road and rail etc will also be covered.

A microbiological safety cabinet (MSC) is a vital piece of equipment that helps to prevent exposure to biological hazards. All containment laboratory users and their supervisors should know how to use MSCs effectively, what the standards are for the different levels of containment, and how the facilities are managed. This course will help both users and managers understand their responsibilities in creating a safe working area and provide both theory and practical knowledge on the safe and effective use of tissue culture (Class II) cabinets.

This is a CAA approved 3-day training course and open book examination, covering the requirements of the IATA Dangerous Goods by Air Regulations. Someone possessing this qualification will be an asset to their department as carriers ask for more assurances about the packaging and labelling of cargoes.

Note that each participant will need the use of an up to date IATA manual for this course. (The manual usually changes annually but if you have a 2020 version that will be acceptable this year.) A few copies are available on loan but will need to be returned to the Trainer (by post) after the course. Other participants will have to purchase or borrow a manual independently.

There will be a 1000 start on the first day but subsequent start, finish and break times will be a matter of negotiation with the trainer.

There is unlikely to be another full IATA course organised centrally until 2023.

Principal Investigators, research group heads and supervisors have duties and responsibilities both in law and under University Policy where the health and safety of group members (and others that may be influenced by their research activities) are concerned. It is mandatory that all PIs, group heads and supervisors attend this course which will quickly inform you of what you must do to comply with the law, keep your staff and students safe and reduce the possibility of litigation, thus reducing the overall risk to the University.

This is a one-day specialised CAA approved training course aimed at those departments shipping biological materials by air (IATA). It will use the current IATA Regulations and will cover the full classification, packaging, labelling and documentation required to ship the following goods:

• Infectious Substances (Category A)
• Biological substances (Category B) (e.g. samples, vaccines, bloods, etc)
• Exempted goods – (e.g. cell lines, DNA)
• Genetically Modified Organisms

It will also cover the requirements for the supplementary materials encountered, such as dry-ice, dry-shippers and samples that are in small amounts of potentially flammable, or toxic, preservative fluids.

Successful candidates will receive a training certificate valid for two years, restricted only to the materials described above.

For completeness, transport by road and rail etc will also be covered.

A microbiological safety cabinet (MSC) is a vital piece of equipment that helps to prevent exposure to biological hazards. All containment laboratory users and their supervisors should know how to use MSCs effectively, what the standards are for the different levels of containment, and how the facilities are managed. This course will help both users and managers understand their responsibilities in creating a safe working area and provide both theory and practical knowledge on the safe and effective use of tissue culture (Class II) cabinets.

The course will provide an overview of the Human Tissue Act and will be delivered by Dr Rachel Smith from the MRC Regulatory Support Centre. The Centre provides training, support and guidance to those whose research involves human participants, their tissue, cells or data.

Please contact Carolyn Read to book a place.

General induction for users of the Physics of Medicine (PoM) building. This includes a guided tour of the facility.

Participants will gain access to PoM only after successfully completing the Physics H&S Induction - see "Related Courses" below.