TO: University of Iowa Principal Investigators and Lab Managers
RE: Upcoming Changes to Biosafety Cabinet Services
There are important updates regarding changes to biosafety cabinet services. Please review the information provided below:
Who will be affected?
All UI faculty and staff who own and/or use biosafety cabinets (BSCs) not located within an ISO-certified clean room.
When will these changes take place?
Changes detailed below will be effective beginning February 1, 2017.
What will change and why?
In an effort to streamline the scheduling of BSC service appointments (i.e. certifications, decontaminations, troubleshoots and repairs), our current contractor, ENV Services, will begin working directly with PIs and lab staff for all BSC scheduling needs. Previously, such services required the PI and/or lab staff to go through an EHS staff member to schedule an appointment with the ENV Services technician. Upon implementation of these changes, EHS will no longer be involved in scheduling these services.
PIs will continue to receive a reminder when their BSCs are due for annual recertification and an appointment will be scheduled for the certification services. However, these reminders and the accompanying appointment time will come directly from the certifier, ENV Services. PIs who do not wish to proceed with the appointment or wish to reschedule must respond to ENV Services directly to cancel and/or change an appointment. When a BSC needs services other than an annual certification (i.e. troubleshoot, repair, decontamination for BSC relocation, etc.) the PI and/or lab staff should contact ENV Services directly to schedule an appointment. Additionally, all BSC service questions should be addressed directly to ENV Services.
To contact ENV Services to schedule an appointment on or after February 1, 2017, please email Serena.Alvarado@envservices.com or call 800-690-3368. If you attempt to contact Serena Alvarado and she is out of the office or unavailable at the time of your inquiry please email Erica.Olveda@envservices.com or request her via the same phone number identified above.
Pricing for BSC services will be minimally altered. New prices are as follows*:
- BSC Certification: $118
- Clean Bench Certification: $81
- BSC Decontamination: $269
- Labor (Repairs and Troubleshoots): $91 per hour
*Prices subject to change upon expiration of our current contract with ENV Services (July 25, 2017).
What will not change:
Copies of service reports will continue to be provided by ENV Services to both the PI and EHS. EHS will review each service report for compliance and billing purposes.
Billing for BSC services will continue to be processed by EHS. As in the past, PIs will need to provide EHS with an MFK, and PIs will subsequently receive a letter from EHS detailing the services performed the previous month and the MFK that was charged.
If you have questions about this memo or the upcoming changes, please contact bio-cabinet@uiowa.edu or call the EHS Associate Biosafety Officer (319-353-5679) or Biosafety Officer (319-335-9553).