About EBSA13 - Course B Introduction to Laboratory Biosecurity (full day)

Instructors:
Ian Anthony, SIPRI, Solna/S
Jennifer Gaudioso, International Biological Threat Reduction/USA
Erik Heegaard, Biosecurity Institute, Lyngby /DK

Short description:
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.