Infectious Material Handling

Policy

The University is committed to taking all reasonable steps for the protection of students, staff and community clients from dangerous communicable diseases. Accordingly all research and teaching activities shall be categorised with regard to the risk of exposure to infectious agents and subsequent to that all staff, students and visitors shall adhere to the full requirements of this policy.

Category One activities shall represent a high risk of exposure to material carrying human pathogens and shall include all research and teaching that requires the handling of human tissue or body fluids.

Category Two activities shall represent (a) a moderate risk of exposure to material carrying human pathogens or (b) a risk of exposure to zoonoses. This shall include all research and teaching activities that require the handling of animal tissue or body fluids or potentially contaminated material such as waste water, sewerage and compost.

Category Three activities shall represent all other activities classified as a low risk of exposure to material containing human pathogens or zoonoses.

The Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) shall be responsible for:

• Approving the categorisation of all research and teaching activities in accordance with this policy;
• Assessing and approving all proposals to establish potentially bio-hazardous activities including all projects involving recombinant DNA techniques; and
• Maintaining surveillance over all known potentially bio-hazardous procedures and situations, undertaken or existing with the University’s sanction, and for ensuring that the highest safety standards and practices are observed.

Infectious Material Handling Procedures