Past EBSA courses

Laboratory biosecurity has become an important aspect of today's laboratory operations. Recent UN, WHO, EU, and US initiatives and reports have highlighted the importance of strengthening laboratory biosecurity. At the national level, there have been some new biosecurity regulations within the EU while a few other countries expect biosecurity to be addressed as part of their laboratory biosafety requirements. Regardless of the regulatory framework, WHO states that "security precautions should become a routine part of laboratory work, just as have aseptic techniques and other safe microbiological practices." This course will introduce participants to the fundamental principles of laboratory biosecurity. Participants will receive a comprehensive summary of the various issues in the emerging field of biosecurity, an explanation of the rationale for implementing biosecurity, and an introduction to biosecurity risk assessment approaches for developing and implementing cost-effective, performance-based graded protection systems. This course will include lecture and facilitated class discussions. As there are many variations in national regulations, this course will not focus on regulatory compliance. Course Learning Objectives: 1. Students will be able to define biosecurity risk 2. Students will understand the key components to biosecurity risk mitigation 3. Students will learn specific strategies to implement biosecurity in partnership with biosafety.

What if the impossible becomes reality? From trivial lab mishaps to large scale catastrophic accidents, the biosafety officer should be able to minimize deleterious effects of biological agents to the environment in the unintended absence of containment. Emergency management is the process by which organizations manage hazards and the effects of disasters. This process involves planning for the mitigation of the impacts of disasters, preparedness, response and recovery.

This workshop introduces participants into practical biosafety emergency planning, its integration with fire and accident response directions, and will include how to stimulate and raise emergency preparedness and how to change human behaviour in an organization. Human behaviour during any type of emergency is the critical factor in determining the ultimate success or failure of an emergency response. Furthermore, the role of emergency planning is placed in the broader context of restoring the operational and business continuity after an important disturbance, to enable an organization to continue to deliver its critical activities at an acceptable predefined level.

The BSO and the biosafety network: organisation of coordination and collaboration with stake-holders in biosafety and related safety areas

 This workshop covers the interaction and collaboration of the BSP with other stakeholders concerned with biosafety such as scientists, laboratory personnel, the biosafety committee and the management as well as stakeholders concerned with other safety areas such as environ-mental health and safety advisors, occupational health physicians, security managers, facility managers, maintenance personnel…. The purpose of the workshop is to identify and establish ways to have positive and effective interactions with stakeholders and to use synergies through expedient collaboration and coordination.

The first part of the workshop is dedicated to presentations on the basic principles of animal biosafety. An overview about safety measures (operational, work practices, equipment) that relate to small and large animals will be given, including a particular focus on risk assessment of both infected (e.g. animal models for human diseases) and genetically modified animals. Emphasis will be put on containment measures as well as on personal protective equipment.
In a second part the case study approach will be used to allow participants to work in smaller groups to recognize, to discuss and to assess the hazards and associated risks related to animal handling. 

This workshop is intended to provide a basic course on auditing management systems and monitoring safety performance in connection with activities involving biohazards. In addition to setting out the general framework for the audit process, and contrasting this with safety inspections, a number of scenarios will be presented to illustrate some of the difficulties which may be encountered, along with approaches to circumvent these. Points to consider when planning and conducting an audit will be presented together with useful hints based on the auditing experience of the tutors. Based on a case study, audit preparation and strategy as well as communication will be practiced in group work and role playing.

This full day course aims at providing biosafety professionals and facility managers with the theoretical and practical knowledge that should equip them to deal with BSL3 construction projects in an efficient way. The course has been designed for professionals who have at least a basic knowledge of biosafety regulations and some experience with BSL2 facilities.

It will consist of two parts, one on the containment principles that are used at BSL3, the other on the design and construction of a BSL3 facility. This second module will cover the organisa-tional and conceptual aspects as well as some very specific, practical issues to consider when dealing with a construction or renovation project. The choice of equipment as well as commis-sioning and validation will be discussed. This module will also deal with some aspects of the management of a construction project. Exchange of experiences will be encouraged through a few exercises and case studies.

Import, export and transport requirements focusing mainly on the movement of biological materials between Europe and the US. This is a complex area which often touches several competent authorities. Although there will be some presentations by experienced people in the field, the learning experience will be centered on the discussion of your problems and questions. Bring them to the course and share them with others!