Pre-conference workshops

Pre-conference workshops must be booked via the online registration site. Spaces are limited.

Monday 29 October 2018, 9.00am - 12.30pm

Workshop 1: Biological Risk Management for Safe Laboratory Practice - Fully booked
Dr Ann Cornish and Lisa van Duin, University of Melbourne, Australia

This workshop will cover the essentials of Assessing, Mitigating and Performance (World Health Organisation AMP model) to manage unacceptable risks associated with handling, storage and disposal of microorganisms and other potentially hazardous biological materials. It will cover the principles of assessing risks associated with microbiological hazards in the laboratory, establishing suitable control measures to mitigate these and mechanisms to continually check and evaluate the effectiveness of the management system in place. 

Learning objectives will include:

  • understanding the basic criteria for conducting a risk assessment

  • how to identify and prioritise biorisks present in the laboratory

  • who should be involved in the risk assessment process and why 

  • understanding how indicative risk groupings for microbiological agents are determined

  • how to identify additional resources that can be used to conduct a risk assessment 

  • how to identify agent, host and task-related factors associated with risk 

  • the context of risk group and physical containment level determinations, applications and limitations

  • what additional measures and regulatory requirements need to be considered to ensure work is conducted safely and compliantly

  • how the design of laboratories and the chosen containment measures impact biorisk management

  • understanding how performance measurement evaluates how well the identified risks have been reduced

  • using performance measurement to make effective changes to the system, enabling continuous improvement. 

A shared commitment and determination to reduce biorisks, the AMP model will have profound effects on productivity, effectiveness and safety. 

Interactive workshop with case studies, practical exercises and time for questions and discussion. Participants will be provided with resources to take home and utilise in the workplace. 

This workshop will be suitable for anyone wanting to learn or revisit the basic principles of biological risk management. It is applicable to biomedical scientists, researchers, lab managers, biosafety officers or those with safety and or compliance responsibilities associated with biological lab work.

Monday 29 October 2018, 1.30pm - 5.00pm

Workshop 2: Confident in your biosafety / biosecurity controls – really? - Fully booked
Dr Paul Huntly, Managing Director & CEO, Riskren PTE Ltd, Singapore

This workshop will explore the practical ways in which biological laboratories can demonstrate confidence in biorisk management systems to stakeholders.  As laboratory managers and biosafety professionals, we rely on a wide range of factors to show that control measures are real, reliable and robust, but if our assurance is largely based only on checking via audits and inspections, we are getting it at least partly wrong.   So where should we focus and how can we truly know the processes, procedures and behaviours we rely on are genuinely effective and not just a false delusion?  This workshop will explore some of these areas and how we can make sure an adequate level of assurance has been adequately defined and met.  During the workshop a series of brief presentations will be interspersed with discussions and group work, using real life scenarios and examples to highlight potential issues and associated solutions.  The session will be based loosely around Elements derived from CWA 15793: Laboratory biorisk management and will cover a range of topics.  These include the relative strengths and weaknesses of applied risk assessment, the need for adequate internal auditing, pros and cons of external certifications, and the need for ownership of issues by those most able and best placed to control risk in the workplace.  Individuals and groups will be challenged to critically assess what gives them confidence that activities in their facility is being carried out safely and securely given the nature of the work and associated levels of risk.  The aim will be to present useful and thought-provoking concepts, encouraging discussion of real issues and how these can be addressed in a practical and proactive manner.  No prior knowledge of the CWA is required and the course is suitable for all disciplines and levels of staff and management. 

Tuesday 30 October 2018, 9.00am - 12.30pm

Workshop 3: Integrating Biosecurity Programs into Laboratory Management Systems - Limited spaces
Dr Lauren Richardson, Merrick and Company, USA

Biorisk management programs should be implemented at any institution where the release, loss, or theft of biological material could result in serious negative consequences, such as harm to workers, the outside community, damage to institutional reputation, and/or financial/legal actions. This workshop provides biosafety and program managers with strategic and tactical approaches for creating an integrated approach that strengthens their biosecurity program as a complement to existing biorisk programs. Participants will be given hypothetical scenarios and work together to understand the differences between risk-based (biosafety) and threat-based (biosecurity) programs, as they contribute to system-wide concepts of threat and vulnerability. Participants will examine Five Pillars of Security (physical, personnel reliability, material control, transportation, and information security) to consider as a framework for building an integrated security program (ISP). The ISP model will be used to align security needs within biosafety programs that will enhance existing institutional safety and security systems. The ISP development will be augmented with templates on conducting threat assessments and vulnerability analyses, models for creating a biosecurity program, and strategies for integrating biosecurity functionality into biosafety programs. Attendees will gain a comprehensive knowledge of the distinctions and intersections of biosafety and biosecurity; conducting threat assessments to complement to risk-based programs; building a biosecurity program framework; and, ideas on steps to take at attendees’ respective institutions to improve and integrate their biosecurity programs.

Tuesday 30 October 2018, 1.30pm - 5.00pm

Workshop 4: Facility completion; testing, commissioning, validation, verification & warranty period – some tools to make it less painful at final handover to operations - Fully booked
Neil Walls, Neil Walls Consulting Pty Ltd, Australia and Stephen Coulter, Wood, Australia

Operational people often experience problems when occupying a new or refurbished facility. This can arise from:

  • Misunderstanding of requirements by designers and builders

  • Solutions which are not user-friendly

  • Inadequate attention, priority and time given to testing, commissioning, validation and verification

  • Lack of integrated testing of systems – contractors just test their bit. No cohesive joint effort; silo approach appears to save time

  • Inadequate or incomplete validation of systems

  • Inadequate consideration of issues such as SOPs and safety features (systems do not work as they need to)

  • Inadequate understanding by facility management of the time that facility operators will need to put aside to understand, become acquainted with, and trial new facilities. Alternatives, such as engagement of suitable commissioning agents, not considered.

  • Poor, insufficient and incomplete training, familiarisation and documentation

  • Warranty period (DLP = Defects Liability period) responsibilities poorly understood and inadequately carried out – contractors attempt to “get out” at minimum cost

  • Handover at the end of warranty occurs without proper training and information transference. Inadequate attention to ongoing engagement of incumbent contractors beyond DLP

  • Restrictions of access to vital information withheld from operators making ongoing maintenance, change or upgrade difficult

  • Inadequate planning if using external FM (= facility maintenance). Poorly understood effects on project finalisation, warranty, or how and when FM becomes involved operationally

The facilitators will raise key elements of the above issues and will provide some tools to help facility managers and operators avoid some of these pitfalls. Presentations will include the following:

  • Definition and understanding of the terminologies used by designers and builders

  • How a well-defined User Requirement Specification (URS) can help

  • How the inclusion of SOP modelling, prototypes and samples can improve outcomes

  • How tight and well-defined contract documentation can improve the result

  • How familiarisation and training procedures can help

  • What validation and verification can achieve if it is properly documented and carried out for the benefit of the operators

  • How accurate definition of warranty period responsibilities, using this period to train operators, and properly documented handover responsibilities can improve operational success

The intention is for the workshop to be inclusive; participants can share their experiences and lessons that have helped them manage situations. If time permits there will be a discussion of some typical issues to complete the workshop.