BSL-3 Laboratory User Training Program at NUITM-KEMRI

The Culture of Biosafety, Biosecurity, and Responsible Conduct in the Life Sciences: A Comprehensive Literature Review

INTRODUCTION

Managing biological risks requires an organizational culture that holistically ensures the biosafety, biosecurity, and biocontainment of infectious disease agents and toxins, in addition to conducting science in a responsible manner, complying with relevant laws, regulations, guidelines, and policies, as well as emphasizing norms, values, and beliefs of the entire life sciences profession.

METHODS

Drawing upon the Federal Experts Security Advisory Panel's (FESAP's) 2014 recommendation to "strengthen a culture that emphasizes biosafety, laboratory biosecurity, and responsible conduct in the life sciences," we undertook a comprehensive literature review of the culture of biosafety, biosecurity, and responsible conduct in the life sciences, including metrics by which to evaluate interventions at the organizational level.

RESULTS

We identified 4031 unique citations published from January 2001 to January 2017 by searching the MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Global Health databases. In addition, a subset of 326 articles was reviewed in full.

DISCUSSION

We found that while there were discussions in the literature about specific elements of culture (management systems, leadership and/or personnel behavior, beliefs and attitudes, or principles for guiding decisions and behaviors), there was a general lack of integration of these concepts, as well as limited information about specific indicators or metrics and the effectiveness of training or similar interventions.

CONCLUSION

We concluded that life scientists seeking to foster a culture of biosafety and biosecurity should learn from the substantial literature in analogous areas such as nuclear safety and security culture, high-reliability organizations, and the responsible conduct of research, among others.

Networking for training Level 3/4 biosafety laboratory staff

Worldwide, public health systems are continually challenged by emerging and re-emerging viruses. It is therefore important that high-containment labs coordinate and communicate globally to share their experiences and lessons to improve their capacity to respond to threats. The National Biosafety (Level 4) Laboratory in Wuhan, CAS, which is the first Level 4 biosafety laboratory (BSL-4) in China, has been certified recently and it is expected to play an important role in the prevention and control of highly infectious agents in future. Trained and experienced staff in such organizations is the most important factor contributing to safety and security. Therefore, it is imperative to develop a standard training program. Accordingly, in the present study, we developed an improved training program and assessment system based on policies and practices developed by BSL-3/4s in other countries. It included the following three components: (1) A flexible modularized theoretical training: This training comprised 14 modularized theoretical topics such that staffs with different backgrounds could take this theoretical training with different topic combinations according to their knowledge and skill levels; (2) A standardized practical training assessment: This comprehensive assessment, which could be used with biosafety laboratory staff before, during, and after training, included standard operation procedures to meet the special requirements of trainees with different scores; and (3) An applicable documentation system: A certification system was established to evaluate the ability of all staff working inside or outside the laboratory, implemented by a special committee. This certification was approved and authorized by the director of the laboratory and was classified into three grades with corresponding minimal requirements. Further, the present study examined the importance of and need for networking for training BSL-3/4 staff. The establishment of rigorous standards for training BSL-3/4 staff will instill confidence in the public, policy makers, and security officials. Additionally, the expanded international network of BSL-3/4s will continue to be operated safely and will pose no risk to scientific staff, local communities, surrounding environment, and host nations. The clarification and coordination of training standards will help develop a highly-qualified biocontainment workforce and will result in a series of programs that will enable scientists to develop measures to deal with existing threat agents and new diseases that emerge.

Biosafety and biosecurity capacity building: insights from implementation of the NUITM-KEMRI biosafety training model

The NUITM-KEMRI biosafety training program was developed for capacity building of new biosafety level three (BSL-3) laboratory users. The training program comprehensively covers biosafety and biosecurity theory and practice. Its training curriculum is based on the WHO biosafety guidelines, local biosafety standards, and ongoing biosafety level three research activities in the facility, also taking into consideration the emerging public health issues. The program’s training approach enhances the participant’s biosafety and biosecurity knowledge and builds their skills through the hands-on practice sessions and mentorship training. Subsequently, the trainees are able to integrate acquired knowledge and good practices into their routine laboratory procedures. This article describes implementation of the NUITM-KEMRI biosafety training program.