Draft RS06: Biosafety will replace VIU policy 31.04 Biosafety and its associated procedure.
The purpose of this policy is to protect employees, students, the community, and the environment from the risks which may arise in the handling of biohazardous agents, by ensuring that the elements of the biosafety program are implemented prior to work being conducted with biohazardous agents.
Consultation on the draft policy is now closed. The consultation took place from December 16, 2024 until 4 pm on January 24, 2025.
The policy process is now complete. The final policy and the consultation report are available here:
This policy is being recommended for approval at the April 24, 2025 meeting of the Board of Governors. Thank you to everyone who provided feedback. Consultation drafts and information about the policy are provided below for your information.
The institution is required to follow applicable laws and standards related to the handling of biohazardous materials. A Board of Governors-level policy manages risk for the institution.
VIU’s existing policy was adapted into the new template, with new sections added where required. The associated procedures were removed from the policy. The procedures will become part of the Terms of Reference/procedures for the Institutional Biosafety Committee. They were de-coupled from the policy to allow the procedures to be more easily updated as requirements change, and because they are highly operational in nature.
Table of Concordance: Policy
Section – New Policy |
Notes |
---|---|
Purpose |
Taken from the existing “Institutional Commitment to Biosafety and Biosecurity” Section |
Scope and Application |
New, based on comparators |
Policy |
|
Considerations |
New |
Roles and Responsibilities |
|
Reporting |
New |
Review |
New, added to reflect shorter initial review so that research policies do not all renew the same year |
Related Documents |
Takes the legislation listed in “Institutional Commitment to Biosafety and Biosecurity” as well as the documents listed in the “Related Policies” section of the current policy |
Revision History |
New |
Appendix A: Definitions |
Taken from existing procedure |
Removed
- Provost & VP, Academic under “Executive Responsibility:” In the original policy, the AVP, Research and Graduate Studies is listed under “Administrative Responsibility” and the Provost under “Executive Responsible.” As the scope of the policy is beyond research and teaching, covering “research, teaching, operations, or community service,” the “Executive Responsibility” was given to the President. The AVP, Research and Graduate Studies remains the “Policy Owner.”
- “Penalties for Violation of Policy:” Some content was removed as it is covered in the “Roles and Responsibilities” of the Biosafety Officer and is more process-oriented.