Biological Safety

The Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) is seeking members of the community who are interested in serving as Community Members on the Boston Biosafety Committee (BBC).  

What is the Boston Biosafety Committee?

BPHC regulates and permits biological research laboratories in the City of Boston. The BBC provides technical assistance and advice to the BPHC’s Executive Director on issues related to the regulation and permitting of biological research laboratories in the City of Boston. 

The Community Members should be Boston residents, preferably from the South End, Fenway, and Chinatown neighborhoods. The BBC members are appointed by the BPHC’s Executive Director. The members should be able to commit to serve on the BBC for at least two years.

What is the role of the Boston Biosafety Committee?

1. To foster and facilitate a two-way communication between the Boston residents and the operators of biological research laboratories in the City of Boston.
2. To seek information about issues of public concern and ways to address and communicate those concerns, including the implications of biological research laboratory operations on the public health and safety.

How often does the Committee meet?

The Committee meets quarterly to review research projects and laboratory permit applications, or at other times as requested by the BPHC’s Executive Director.  The time commitment for each BBC member will be about 5 hours per month. There will be documents to review in advance before scheduled meetings. No BBC meetings will be held during some months. 

How do I Join the BBC?

If you are interested in joining the BBC, please fill out the form below under Forms, Checklists, and Guidelines. For more information, please contact Simon Muchohi, Director of Biological Safety at BPHC (617-534-2683 or smuchohi@bphc.org).

All biosafety permit applications are submitted and managed online through our secure system. Please contact the Biosafety Program at 617-534-5965 or biosafety@bphc.org for information on the system and to set up an account. Note that other local and state regulations also govern laboratories. Please see below for details of these other requirements.

Request to set an entity workspace

If a reportable laboratory incident occurs, call the BPHC Infectious Disease Bureau IMMEDIATELY at 617-534-5611. Then call the BPHC Environmental Health Office at 617-534-5965 or email biosafety@bphc.org. Reportable laboratory incident reports should be submitted through the online secure permit system. However, the incident report form can be downloaded here. Fill out the form and fax it to BPHC 617-534-5905, if you cannot access the online permit system.

• Incident Reporting Form

These checklists are based on the CDC/NIH Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL, 6th Edition), NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules, and the BPHC's regulations.

• BSL-2 inspection checklist
• BSL-3 inspection checklist
• BSL-4 inspection checklist
• ABSL-4 inspection checklist

• Biological Laboratory FAQs

We are recruiting Community Members (volunteers) to serve on the Boston Biosafety Committee. Please fill out this form to become a member.

• DelValle Institute for Emergency Preparedness Boston Medical Reserve Corps: Introduction to Biological Hazards Response, March 2015
• Boston Tattoo Convention Bloodborne Pathogen training
  • Let Art Be Your Legacy
  • Good, Clean Art
  • Look Sharp
  • OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard
  • OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Regulations

• Boston Biosafety Users' Group (BBUG) Meeting: Revised Guidelines: Biological Laboratory Regulations, October 2019
• New England Biological Safety Association (NEBSA) 2018 Biological Safety Symposium: Permitting Process of Biosafety Level 4 Facility: A Regulator's View, November 2018
• American Biological Safety Association (ABSA) 2014 Annual Conference: International Session: A Review of the Current Infectious Agent Registration Process in Boston, Rhode Island, Canada and the UK, October 2014
• Campus Safety Health and Environmental Management Association (CSHEMA) Massachusetts Regional Conference: City of Boston Biological Safety Regulations and Laboratory Oversight, October 2014
• Middle Atlantic Regional Center of Excellence for Biodenfenses and Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Center for Health and Homeland Security conference on Laboratory Safety. Security and Preparedness in the Evolving Era of Dual Use Research of Concern (DURC): Panelist and presentation of City of Boston regulations, February 2014
• Boston Biosafety Users Group: Summary of Boston Public Health Commission Biosafety Program 2012 Data, February 2012
• Boston Biosafety Users Group: Boston Municipal Requirements for Biocontainment Laboratories, January 2012

• ABSA International
• New England Biological Safety Association
• Pathogen Safety Data Sheets from Public Health Agency of Canada
• Permitting for Transport of Zika Virus Samples for Laboratories
• CDC Biosafety Lab Levels​

• Report of Pneumonic Tularemia in Three Boston University Researchers
• Laboratory-Acquired Vaccinia Virus Infection in a Recently Immunized Person
• Use of Vaccinia Virus Smallpox Vaccine in Laboratory and Health Care Personnel at Risk for Occupational Exposure to Orthopoxviruses