Health and Safety

ITQB NOVA provides Healthcare to all the community as General Practice and Occupational Medicine.

General Practice (accessible to everyone at the Institute) functions twice a month – online booking.

Occupational Medicine (accessible to workers and researchers with a contract) functions twice a month – appointments booked by the physician and in accordance with the legislation in force.

Researchers, staff members, and PhD students at ITQB NOVA also have access to Mental Health services through Team 24, an online platform.

Team members

Helena Matias

Coordinator

Nelson Saibo

Vice Director for Safety

Nuno Monteiro

Head of Maintenance

Antonio Cunha

Pilot Plant

Mónica Serrano

Biological Hazards Officer

José Andrade

Ionizing Radiations Protection Delegate

Pedro Mateus

Chemical Hazards Officer

Paula Chicau

Chairman of Floor Coordinator Sub-committee

João Carita

Washrooms Coordinator

The Safety Committee’s main objectives are to promote safe and healthy working conditions throughout ITQB NOVA, provide counselling and/or training on demanded subjects, and assure that all research activities are compliant with legal obligations concerning health and safety at work, environmental protection and emergency awareness.

The Safety Office will answer any questions related with safety and emergency procedures, residues separation and recycling, ITQB NOVA licenses (e.g.: radioactive compounds, OGM/MGM), the ITQB NOVA Chem-storage programme (chemicals surplus) or any other subjects concerning lab or office safety.

Any researcher can propose subjects for debate by sending an e-mail to the Coordinator.

Paula Chicau

Chairman

João Carita

Deputy Chairman

Nuno Monteiro

First and Eigth Floor Coordinator

Alexandre Maia

Deputy First and Eight Floor Coordinator

Fernando Jorge Tavares

Second Floor Coordinator

Cristina Pinto

Deputy Second Floor Coordinator

Tiago Cordeiro

Third Floor Coordinator

Catarina M. Paquete

Deputy Third Floor Coordinator

Catarina Brito

Fourth Floor Coordinator

Margarida Serra

Deputy Fourth Floor Coordinator

Adriano O. Henriques

Fifth Floor Coordinator

Frederic Bustos Gaspar

Deputy Fifth Floor Coordinator

Catarina Pimentel

Sixth Floor Coordinator

Isabel Abreu

Deputy Sixth Floor Coordinator

Beatriz Royo

Seventh Floor Coordinator

Margarida Archer

Deputy Seventh Floor Coordinator

Rita Ventura

Chemistry Building Coordinator

The main objective of the FCsC is to ensure the distribution of common spaces and the allocation of common equipment on the research floors, the safe and balanced use of equipment, and to overview the safety conditions of the floors.

Manuals

• Health and Safety Manual 
• Manual de Segurança e Saúde no Trabalho 
• Safety and Occupational Health Manual – Administrative staff, maintenance and visitors
• Manual de Segurança e Saúde no Trabalho – Pessoal administrativo, manutenção e visitantes 
• Emergency and Evacuation Plan for ITQB NOVA (EN/PT)
• GMO Safety Manual 
• Compressed Gases, Cryogenic Liquids and Dry Ice Safety Manual (EN/PT) 
• Safety Recommendations – Ionizing Radiations and Radionuclides (EN/PT) (2017) (v. Sept. 2017)

Licenses and Notifications

• Biological Safety Level and GMM
• Organisms notified to Agência Portuguesa do Ambiente (APA)
• Radionuclides and authorized Labs

Rules

• Rules in force at ITQB NOVA

• • Children @ ITQB
  • Personal Safety Protection
  • Biological Safety Cabinets (Recommendations for correct use)
  • Bunsen and open flame gas burners
  • Cold Rooms & Growth Rooms (Cleaning and management)
  • Energy Management (UPS, emergency and normal power circuits)
  • Transport of N₂ dewars in the cargo lift
  • Transport of N₂ dewars when the cargo lift is out of order

• Laboratory taps color code
• Safety rules for research work with lasers of classes 3B and 4
• ITQB NOVA Evacuation Procedures (EN / PT)

• Municipal Solid Waste @ ITQB NOVA campus (EN) – SCAN Seminar
• EcoDeal Presentation (PT) – Resíduos de laboratório, químicos e solventes
• EcoDeal Presentation Notes (EN) – Regular lab waste, chemicals & solvents
• Ambiwaste Presentation (EN) (PT) – Biohazardous lab waste
• How to sort lab waste into hazardous groups I, II, III and IV
• Hazard Waste Compatibility Chart

Safety Data

• Biological Agents
  • Legislation

European Legislation

• • • Directive 2009/41/EC (EN) (PT) on the contained use of GMOs
    • Directive 2001/18/EC (EN) (PT) on the deliberate release into the environment of GMOs

• • • Directive 2000/54/EC (EN) (PT) on the protection of workers from risks related to exposure to biological agents at work
    • Directive 98/81/EC (EN) (PT) on the contained use of GMMs

National Legislation

• • • Decreto-Lei nº 102-A/2020 relativo à proteção dos trabalhadores contra riscos ligados à exposição a agentes biológicos durante o trabalho
    • Decreto-Lei nº 55/2015 relativo ao regime de utilização confinada de MGMs e OGMs e à proteção da saúde humana e do ambiente
    • Decreto-Lei nº 164/2004 aditamento ao Dec-Lei nº 72/2003
    • Decreto-Lei nº 72/2003 relativo à libertação deliberada de OGMs no meio ambiente
    • Decreto-Lei nº 2/2001 relativo à utilização confinada de MGMs
    • Portaria nº 1036/98  altera a Portaria nº 405/98 (re-publicada em anexo) que aprova a lista dos agentes biológicos classificados conforme previsto no Decreto-Lei nº 84/97
    • Decreto-Lei nº 84/97 estabelece as regras de protecção dos trabalhadores contra os riscos de exposição a agentes biológicos durante o trabalho
  • Biosafety and Risk Group Classification
  • Pathogen Safety Data Sheets and risk assessment
• Chemical Agents
  • Chemical Compatibility Storage Guide
  • Chemical Compatibility Storage Codes (examples)
  • Procedures for treatment of chemicals surplus and waste
  • Laboratory Chemical Safety Summaries
    • Chemicals Index Table
    • Safety Handling and Disposal Data
  • Lista de compostos potencialmente cancerígenos
  • International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)
  • Choosing Gloves – Chemical Resistance Guide
  • Database of Hazardous Materials (CAMEO Chemicals)
  • Guia Técnico da DGS para exposição de trabalhadores a agentes cancerígenos, mutagénicos e tóxicos para a reprodução
• Ionizing Radiation
  • Radio Isotopes SDS
  • Guia Técnico da DGS para a vigilância da saúde dos trabalhadores expostos a radiação ionizante
• Plastics, polymers and glass labware
  • Glass labware care and safe handling
  • Plastic labware chemical resistance
  • Physical properties table
  • Chemical compatibility Database
  • Nalgene bottles and carboys technical brochure
  • Centrifuge tubes chemical resistance
  • Tubing and pump heads chemical compatibility
• Occupational Hazards – Effects in Health
  • CDC – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • WHO – World Health Organization
  • EU-OSHA – Occupational Safety and Health Agency (EU)

Safety Questionnaires

To obtain certification fill the questionnaire, save and send by e-mail to: itqb.safety@itqb.unl.pt 

• GM Plants Safety Certification
• ITQB Safety and Health at Work

Safety Committee

• Chair of the committee: Helena Matias
• Minutes of the Meetings
• For more information please contact: itqb.safety@itqb.unl.pt

First Aid / Primeiros Socorros

For suggestions, questions and stock replenishment of First Aid boxes send an e-mail to: socorristas@itqb.unl.pt 

• Advanced First Aid and AED Team
• How to act when facing a medical emergency – First aid team presentation 
• Como atuar numa emergência médica – Apresentação pela equipa de Socorristas

Work accidents

To notify labor accidents/incidents fill the form, save and send by e-mail to: itqb.safety@itqb.unl.pt 

• Notificação de acidentes e incidentes de trabalho /Labor accidents/incidents notification form
• How to activate the Personal Accident Insurance included in FCT grant contracts (EN/PT)