About EBSA Thursday "Risk assessments – One size does not fit all"

The second of 5 online, member only, meetings in 2021

With:

• Ursula Jenal, Dr. sc. nat. ETH, Jenal & Partners Biosafety Consulting, Switzerland
• Toon De Kesel, Biorisk expert, General manager, Febris Biorisk Consult, Belgium

Moderator: Marcel van Bergen assisted by Delphine Beeckman

Every single document on biorisk management stresses the importance of a robust risk assessment. The fourth edition of the WHO Laboratory Biosafety Manual promotes the thorough, evidence-based and transparent assessment of the risks. ISO 35001 stipulates that an organization shall ensure that suitable methodologies for assessing and prioritizing biorisks are identified, implemented, maintained, and documented.

 The management of risks related to activities with hazardous biological materials in research, development, production or in diagnostic laboratories using specific methodologies is key. However, the identification of the right control measures using a systematic approach is the main concern of the biosafety professional.

The goal is to provide an overview, to those starting and evaluating new activities as the biosafety professional, of the appropriate type of methodology of risk assessment

 Yet, many biosafety professionals signal that they encounter difficulties in finding a suitable risk assessment approach. Whereas risk assessment methods have been developed for specific industry areas, none seems to be ideal for all biorisk related issues. First of all robust risk assessment starts with a thorough evaluation of the risk of the biological material in particular when using genetic modification. Join us and discuss with two seasoned biorisk assessment experts the challenges that they and you encounter. Get insights from colleagues on how they tackle specific projects.