The Role of the IBC & PI in Assessing & Documenting Training
The Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) is tasked by the NIH Guidelines with assessing the training and expertise of personnel involved in recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecule research. The IBC extends this assessment to personnel performing research or teaching activities with other potentially hazardous biological agents. The capability of personnel to control hazards and reduce risks involves training, and the IBC expects all personnel are trained in lab specific activities. Records for lab specific training are typically requested during HSRM inspections. The director or person in charge of the laboratory is expected to provide or arrange the appropriate training.
In addition to lab specific training, the IBC requires more general training in certain areas depending on the research or teaching activities of the laboratory (see below). All modules are administered and tracked through the Training Hub and you must have a University of Minnesota x500 to log in. The PI of an eProtocol application is held responsible for the IBC-required training of the personnel listed. Trainings from other sources are not allowed as substitutes for the online training courses.
IBC Specific Online Training Courses
All PIs are required to have all relevant trainings even if the PI is not at the bench. Bloodborne pathogen training is required initially for the PI if the IBC protocol involves work with infectious agents or blood/fluids/cells from human or non-human primates. However, the annual refresher training is not required if the PI states in the manual entry text box that they will not handle human or non-human primate derived materials/samples in their lab or work with infectious agents.
** If staff on an IBC application will not be working within the laboratory and will not be placed in situations where exposure to biological agents might occur then the online trainings are not required. If this is the case, please report this in the text box for "training that is not indicated above.”
Training Records in eProtocol
After you complete a training module, the courses should appear in the Personnel Information section of your IBC application in eProtocol. To view the training courses for each staff member, click on their name, and then click twice on the double arrows to the far right of "Training Details.”
Completed training for IBC requirements will be recorded and should auto-populate in the eProtocol application. If personnel have taken the training but it isn't listed, then please include each unlisted training module's name and date of completion in the box for "training that is not indicated above" for all personnel (click on their name to locate the text box associated with each individual). Please note that the IBC does not track individuals and the activities they perform. The PI should use the text box to include clarifications on whether staff are not performing work listed in their application so that the IBC Admin does not send requests for training records that are not applicable.
Information for how to access training records.
Contact Information for Questions Related to Training
For questions regarding training content or technical issues, contact HSRM at (612) 626-6002 or [email protected].
For questions regarding training requirements, contact the IBC at (612) 626-2161 or [email protected].