Success Stories

The University of Texas at El Paso, Bioscience Research Building, El Paso, Texas

Biosafety Policies and Procedures Commissioning Construction Design Review

University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), America’s leading Hispanic-serving university, required the design and construction of a new ABSL-3/BSL-3 laboratory. Beginning in 2006, plans were made to build a 140,000 square foot Bioscience Research Building including an ABSL-3/BSL-3 laboratory, Biomolecule Analysis Core Facility and at least four additional facilities and laboratories.

World BioHazTec provided consultant services ensure the proper design, construction, and commissioning of the ABSL-3/BSL-3 laboratory to meet the standards in the 5th Edition of the CDC/NIH Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL, now in its 6th Edition), NIH Design Requirements Manual, and NIH BSL-3 Certification Requirements and Checklist. We worked with UTEP from the beginning of Phase I of the project through the final Phase II and certification for operation.

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The Challenge

The estimated $45 million facility marked a significant leap into a new era for an already thriving research community. With such a substantial investment at stake, careful oversight and monitoring of progress and costs were imperative for the successful completion of the facility. Given that work at this biosafety level was uncharted territory for the research community, it necessitated revisions to existing practices and procedures. This included the establishment of daily protocols and maintenance schedules, as well as attention to the details of the specialized systems in place, all geared towards ensuring the ongoing safe and effective operation of the facility.

The Solution

The World BioHazTec team of professional engineers and biosafety subject matter experts reviewed design documents and issued comments to the architectural and engineering firm to ensure that the laboratory was constructed to meet all applicable guidelines and regulations. Throughout the life of the project, we participated in design and construction meetings and consulted on certification criteria to ensure operational status upon the completion of the endurance period. Construction was inspected regularly by us. We also witnessed commissioning, and test results were evaluated by our professionals.

Our Biosafety Professional advised UTEP on the compilation of the Biosafety Manual, a requirement for commissioning and certification. The review identified the strengths and areas for improvement by benchmarking the Biosafety Policies and Procedures against successful programs supporting similar missions and evaluating the program in relation to best practices.

The Result

The project was successfully completed and commissioned in September 2009. It has remained in continuous operation since its commissioning. We continue to provide annual certification of the ABSL-3/BSL-3 laboratory.

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World BioHazTec is an Accredited Provider (AP) of the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). As an IACET Accredited Provider, World BioHazTec offers IACET CEUs for its learning events that comply with the ANSI/IACET Continuing Education and Training Information.

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