public health preparedness and response
Three Years, Seven Stories: Reflecting on Biosafety and Biosecurity Progress
By Michael Marsico, MS, specialist, Biosafety and Biosecurity
Michael Stevenson, PhD deputy laboratory director, Idaho Bureau of Laboratories( IBL)
The IBL developed an online training module on laboratory security, incident response for regular IBL visitors, and a Category A shipping exercise for Idaho sentinel laboratories. It facilitated regional workshops on laboratory biological and chemical safety. These included an overview of a hazard risk management program and risk assessment template, proper use of biosafety cabinets( BSC) and personal protective equipment, and an overview of packaging and shipping of infectious substances.
In 2015, 64 state, local and territorial public health laboratories( PHLs) were part of the three-year, $ 21 million US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity Domestic Ebola Supplemental for Enhanced Laboratory Biosafety and Biosecurity Capacity Cooperative Agreement( ELC Ebola Biosafety Agreement). The agreement is designed to enhance PHL biosafety capacity, and improve coordination and outreach with clinical laboratories. With assistance from APHL over the three-year period, these laboratories have been able to enhance their internal biosafety programs along with their outreach efforts to clinical laboratories. The stories of seven PHLs follow.
IBL also conducted site visits to sentinel labs where it distributed safety equipment such as GloGerm kits to visualize effective hand washing, Wizard fog generator sticks to show BSC airflow, and OSHA-and GHS-compliant secondary containers( e. g., bleach squirt bottles). These activities improved communication and professional relationships with sentinel labs and increased workforce development opportunities.
Kristin M. Long, PhD biosecurity officer, North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health( NCSLPH)
NCSLPH established an occupational health program for clinical diagnostic laboratory workers and support personnel. Dr. Long, NCSLPH’ s biosafety officer, spearheaded thorough risk assessments for all testing areas in the laboratory and worked with groups to determine necessary medical services for mitigation of occupational risk.
NCSLPH also contracted with an occupational health provider in January 2018 to evaluate an individual’ s health, ability and fitness to perform laboratory testing. Services include comprehensive health exams, vaccinations, antibody titer
6 LAB MATTERS Spring 2018
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