This October is the 11th anniversary of National Biosafety and Biosecurity Month, an event sponsored by the American Biological Safety Association (ABSA) International. This year, ABSA is highlighting the core components of biosafety and biosecurity including training, stewardship, and supporting responsible and ethical research.
In this blog, we are focusing on the importance of biosafety training to ensure the safe handling and containment of biological materials including potentially infectious agents. Training not only plays a critical role in reducing or eliminating exposure of lab personnel; it can also help ensure protection of the community and the environment.
As described in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Institutes of Health (CDC/NIH) publication Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL) 6th Edition, employees working in facilities that handle and store hazardous biological agents must be able to properly identify all potential hazards as well as be trained and proficient in necessary safe practices and procedures. Management and leadership are responsible for providing and arranging for the adequate training of all personnel based on their functional roles and responsibilities.
Regardless of the biosafety level of the laboratory, all lab personnel must receive appropriate training regarding their duties, potential hazards, manipulations of infectious agents in use, necessary precautions to minimize exposures, and hazard/exposure evaluation procedures (e.g., physical hazards, splashes, aerosolization). Lab employees must also be trained on the specific procedures they conduct.
The BMBL also specifies that training on emergency procedures should be provided. This includes training on different types of emergency situations including biological spills, exposures, medical emergencies, and facility or equipment malfunctions.
In addition to general biosafety training, supplemental training may be required depending on the biological agents in use and/or the scale of the work. For instance, such training might include safety precautions for working with non-human primate (NHP) material, viral vectors, or biologicals known to, or that potentially contain, bloodborne pathogens. The OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard has specific requirements for the content of the training that needs to be provided.
For compliance with this standard, employees must be trained prior to working with or around infectious, or potentially infectious materials, and annual training must be provided within 12 months of the previous training. The BMBL also specifies that general biosafety training should be provided on an annual basis and that additional training should be given when equipment, procedures, or policies change.
Along with training for lab employees, all persons entering areas where biological material is used and stored should be advised of the potential hazards, be instructed on the appropriate safeguards, and know that they should follow established practices and procedures. Because of this, it’s recommended that a policy on visitor training be implemented.
Training is an essential component of any biosafety program, and National Biosafety and Biosecurity Month is a great time to review training practices at your facility. Confirming that researchers are following established policies and procedures is a critical step to ensure that the training program is effective. In addition to biosafety officer involvement, senior management and principal investigators are encouraged to take an active role in supporting and promoting the training program.
For additional information on National Biosafety and Biosecurity Month, or for help establishing or enhancing your biosafety and bloodborne pathogens training program, please contact us.
This blog was written by Beth Graham, Safety Partners’ Director of Quality, Research, and Training