Anonymous Reporting Ethics & Safety Concerns About the Select Agents and Toxins Program

Reporting Biosafety, Biosecurity, and Compliance Concerns

Cornell University personnel are expected to report biosafety, biocontainment, biosecurity, or Select Agent compliance concerns promptly so that the University can assess the concern and take appropriate action.

Emergencies and Immediate Threats

The reporting options described below are not emergency-response services.

For an emergency or an immediate threat to people, the environment, or facility security:

• Call 911 from a campus telephone; or
• Call Cornell University Public Safety Communications at 607-255-1111 from a cell phone or an off-campus telephone.

Internal Reporting

Report biosafety, biocontainment, biosecurity, suspected theft or loss, potential releases, suspicious activity, and potential violations of the Select Agent regulations as soon as possible to:

• Your supervisor or Principal Investigator;
• The Responsible Official or an Alternate Responsible Official; or
• The EHS Biosafety team.

Follow applicable incident-response, security, exposure-response, and reporting procedures. Confidential or anonymous reporting does not replace immediate notification when an event requires emergency response, medical evaluation, containment, security intervention, or reporting under the Select Agent regulations.

Cornell Confidential or Anonymous Reporting

Concerns involving improper conduct or possible violations of Cornell policy may be reported through the Cornell Ethics and Compliance Hotline. Reports may be made confidentially or anonymously:

• Online through the Cornell Ethics and Compliance Hotline; or
• By telephone at 1-866-293-3077.

The hotline is available to Cornell faculty, staff, students, and others wishing to report an ethics, integrity, or compliance concern.

Federal Select Agent Reporting

The Federal Select Agent Program provides confidential reporting channels for safety, security, or other concerns associated with select agents and toxins. Individuals may report concerns directly to either the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. When reporting a concern involving select agents or toxins, identify the matter as a “Select Agent Complaint.”

• U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General
  Telephone: 1-800-424-9121
  Fax: 202-690-2474
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General
  Telephone: 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477)
  Fax: 1-800-223-8164

Reports may be submitted anonymously. Individuals who identify themselves may request confidentiality. The ability of an Office of Inspector General to obtain additional information or communicate with the person making the report may depend on the reporting option selected.