About EBSA13 - Course A. Emergency Preparedness and Contingency Planning (full day)

Instructors :
Toon De Kesel, Bayer BioScience NV, Zwijnaarde/B
Patrick Rüdelsheim, Perseus BVBA, Zwijnaarde/B

Short description:
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.