About EBSA20 - Course F - Autoclaving as a safe and consistent process: Waste autoclaves - selection, validation and performance

Instructor:  Eric Dumermuth and Per Staugard

Short description of the course:

Biosafety concerns don't end with the end of the work, consideration of what you do with your dangerous waste is equally important.

This course focusses on autoclaving as the most reliable and most widely used method to render biological waste safe; at least the easiest accepted in the western world.

The course covers basic physics and chemistry: how and why is steam effective. Different designs of autoclaves are required by different processes and different loading programs. Advantages and disadvantages of different types of autoclaves  are discussed. Validation and process monitoring are discussed in the course.
Very briefly some alternative methods to render biological material safe, will be mentioned.
The course is intended for biosafety pro’s and engineers with basic knowledge of biosafety.

A few small group assignments are included in the program.

Main topics:

• the choice where to install what type of autoclave
• what is important in validation.
• maintenance and validation are important as major issues when choosing an autoclave

CWA 16335:2011 Biosafety professional competence reference

The topic refers to some sections of competence 7.2.14 and training specifications C.2.1.2.12 Biological waste management.