Lab Matters Summer 2018 | Page 46

APHL 2018 Annual Meeting Poster Abstracts

Biosafety directly contacted partners via calls or site visits . PHLs cited staffing turnover and shortages as major challenges to sustaining improvements .

Presenter : Christina Chung , Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Atlanta , GA , Email : vym4 @ cdc . gov

Evaluating the Flocked Swab as a Tool to Sample and Recover Healthcare Pathogens from Nitrile Gloves

( complete abstract in Infectious Disease , p . 65 )

Enterprise-level Risk Assessment in the Public Health Laboratory : A Case Study from a Prospective Polio- Essential Facility

R . Stinnett 1 , J . Anstadt 1 , C . Burns 1 , W . Nix 1 , E . Rhoden 1 , W . Weldon 1 , L . Stanford 2 , S . Bernstein 2 , H . Vu 1 , M . Oberste 1 , L . Haynes 1 ; 1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Atlanta , GA , 2 Booz Allen Hamilton / Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Atlanta , GA

Background : We present an interdisciplinary team-based approach for risk assessment in a public health laboratory setting . We describe , as a case study , an exercise conducted at the Polio and Picornavirus Laboratory Branch ( PPLB ) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ), in preparation for a request for certification as a Polio-Essential Facility . The objectives of this exercise were to ( 1 ) identify risks to staff safety , ( 2 ) identify risks to biosecurity and ( 3 ) inform strategic risk management planning , to minimize poliovirus facility-associated risk after eradication of wild polioviruses .

Methods : We formed a task force composed of laboratory scientists , a quality specialist , a safety specialist and leadership to review laboratory procedures and applied process analysis to classify them into a network of core activities . We developed a custom risk assessment tool to identify hazards to biosafety , biosecurity and quality and reached a consensus about each hazard ’ s relative likelihood and consequences by core activity .

Results : Our enterprise-level risk assessment identified no high-risk hazards , formally documenting the strengths of the existing PPLB biorisk management system . However , through this process we identified additional opportunities to further mitigate moderate- and low-risk hazards . This risk assessment informed the optimization of several PPLB workflows and facilitated the strategic engagement of partners in CDC occupational health , physical security and facilities services .

Conclusions : Engaging scientists , safety specialists and quality specialists simultaneously not only promoted comprehensive evaluation of hazards , but effectively coupled hazard identification with strategic planning for risk mitigation . Furthermore , leadership engagement facilitated the implementation of risk management plans , particularly those that required engagement of key players outside the laboratory . We propose that this model is broadly applicable for risk assessment in any public health laboratory .

Presenter : Rita Stinnett , MHS , PhD , Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Atlanta , GA , Phone : 404.718.6779 , Email : nrk2 @ cdc . gov

Creating a Knowledge Sharing Hub for Biosecurity Using an Online Collaborative Tool

A . Tseng 1 , L . Musralina 2 , E . Rzayev 3 , E . Marshall 4 , M . Adams 4 , K . Yeh 5 ; 1 McGill University , Montreal , PQ , Canada , 2 Institute of General Genetics and Cytology , Amaty , Kazakhstan , 3 Republican Veterinary Laboratory of Azerbaijan , 4 Washington State University , Pullman , WA , 5 MRIGlobal , Gaithersburg , MD

An array of biosecurity threats both known and unknown exists today . With technological advances such as the de novo synthesis of horsepox virus , biosecurity professionals need to be well informed , trained and equipped to recognize these risks . Although there is an abundance of technical references available , there is no single roadmap to follow or a central location for individuals to access them and otherwise promote an interactive engagement . Our team proposed to develop a novel engagement tool using web-based software for networking across sectors and regions . This work was part of a Global Health Security ( GHSA ) -related proposal competition , which our submission was awarded first place . Using online collaboration tools can be used to reinforce existing biosecurity best practices , standards and policies that are important for achieving GHSA and Joint External Evaluations ( JEE ) biosecurity objectives . Related information , research and learning are also used to inform national policy development . In order to effectively implement the GHSA , one must recognize that there are clear biosecurity gaps in both the GHSA and JEE . Our goal is to create a low-cost repeatable model for next generation biosecurity professionals to engage with experts in the field by means of a question and answer forum by creating an online portal of biosecurity resources and tools to assist users in achieving the biosecurity targets within the GHSA and JEE . By collaborating with partners , experts and using software and apps , this model serves as a useful forum to discuss biosecurity and also related issues among working groups and peer institutes such as state and local public health laboratories .

Presenter : Lyazzat Musralina , Institute of General Genetics and Cytology , Almaty , Kazakhstan , Email : musralinal @ gmail . com

Laboratory Biosafety and Biosecurity Partners Forum , Looking into the Future

M . Pentella 1 , C . Mangal 2 , R . Salerno 3 , M . Marsico 2 ; 1 University of Iowa , Iowa City , IA , 2 Association of Public Health Laboratories , Silver Spring , MD , 3 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Atlanta , GA

In May 2015 , APHL was awarded a three year , $ 2.2 million Cooperative Agreement for Domestic Laboratory Biosafety for Ebola and Other Highly Infectious Diseases , by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ), with one of the many objectives being to facilitate state , local and territorial public health laboratories ( PHLs ) with outreach efforts to their clinical laboratory partners , with the goal of enhancing biosafety and biosecurity within these facilities . APHL ’ s member PHLs reach out to clinical laboratories via a number of activities such as training courses , information sharing during emergencies , assistance with risk assessments and routine communications . APHL engages diverse stakeholders , including non-governmental organizations and federal agencies that do everything from laboratory testing to accreditation . In 2016 , APHL convened the Laboratory Biosafety and Biosecurity Partners Forum to facilitate information exchange among various federal partners and other stakeholders engaged in evaluating and