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. A report through an anonymous or confidential reporting channel does not replace immediate notification when an event requires emergency response, medical evaluation, containment, security intervention, or regulatory reporting.

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 channels for reporting biosafety, biocontainment, security, or other concerns associated with select agents and toxins. When making a federal report, identify the matter as a “Select Agent Complaint.”

• USDA Office of Inspector General 
  For concerns involving USDA-regulated plant, animal, or overlap select agents and toxins.
  Telephone: 1-800-424-9121
  Fax: 202-690-2474
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General 
  For concerns involving HHS-regulated or overlap select agents and toxins.
  Telephone: 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477)
  Fax: 1-800-223-8164

The federal Offices of Inspector General permit reports to be submitted anonymously or confidentially. The ability to investigate or obtain additional information may vary depending on the reporting option selected.