This year is the 8th anniversary of the Biosafety & Biosecurity Month. The NIH’s Office of Science Policy (OSP) initially created National Biosafety Month to encourage institutions to highlight the importance of biosafety and undertake activities to strengthen their biosafety programs. The theme for 2021 is “Innovation in Biosafety and Biosecurity.”

Innovation in biosafety and biosecurity can occur both at the institution and individual level. It is also not limited to laboratories with only biological materials. Innovation to promote the safe use of biological, chemical, and radioactive materials can include:

• Adopting more sustainable practices such as using reusable pipette tip boxes or reagent sharing.
• Substituting materials for safer alternatives such as using SYBR Green, Accuris SmartGlowTM, GelRed, or Apex Safe DNA Gel Stain instead of Ethidium Bromide.
• Evaluating the PPE Assessment Form annually and when your procedures or materials change.
• Requesting a risk assessment when your procedures or materials change.
• Utilizing available technologies such as CEPAR’s LiveSafe app, BioRAFT, EHS Assist, and the newly acquired REDCap and OpenSpecimen platforms.

Let’s work together to keep Emory safe! Contact your Research Safety Building Liaison if you have any questions.

Emory University thanks ABSA International for supporting the 2021 Biosafety & Biosecurity Month.