Biosafety and Biosecurity

• Laboratory biosafety and biosecurity are topics that discuss the history and related policies and guidelines governing laboratory biosafety and biosecurity.
• The fundamental concepts between laboratory biosafety and biosecurity are differentiated.
• Local and international organizations of biosafety are classified.
• Microorganisms are classified according to the risk group.
• Laboratories are categorized according to their biosafety level.
• Biosafety contains containment principles, technologies, and practices that are implemented to prevent unintentional exposure to pathogens and toxins or their accidental release.
• A separate building or completely isolated zone is required for work with BSL - 4 agents.
• Biosafety protects people from microorganisms and focuses on laboratory procedures and practices needed to prevent exposure to and acquisition of infection.
• Laboratory workers handling BSL - 4 agents require complete isolation.
• BSL - 4 agents can be transmitted via the aerosol route.
• Examples of BSL - 4 agents include Marburg or the Crimean - Congo hemorrhagic fever.
• BSL - 4 agents are worked on in a Class III biosafety cabinet or in a full body, air - supplied positive - pressure personnel suit.
• Biosafety Level 4 (BSL - 4) is a dangerous and exotic agent that pose high individual risks with no available vaccines or treatment.
• Biosecurity protects microorganisms from people and involves the maintenance of secure procedures and practices in handling biological materials and sensitive Information.
• Biosafety levels are technical means of mitigating risk of accidental infection from or release of agents in the environment and emphasize on equipment and facility controls.
• A biosafety officer ensures lab personnel follow safety protocols.
• The history of biosafety began in 1907 with Arnold Wedum, who developed mechanical pipettors to prevent LAI.
• In 1909, a Ventilated Cabinet was developed to prevent infection from mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB).
• In 1943, Ira L. Baldwin, the first scientific director of Camp Detrick, was tasked with establishing the Biological Weapons Program for defensive purpose.
• The US Biological Weapons Program was started in 1943 by Franklin Roosevelt and terminated in 1969 by Richard Nixon.
• Newell A. Johnson developed modifications for BioSafety at Camp Derrick, including BSL II safety cabinets and laminar flow hoods.
• Arnold Wedum, Director of Industrial Health and Safety at the US Army Biological Research Laboratories, provided foundations for biosafety.
• Wedum and Morton Reitman analyzed multiple epidemiological studies of laboratory-based outbreaks.
• The World Health Assembly in 1967 aggressively pursued to eradicate smallpox due to high mortality rates.
• In 1967, the World Health Assembly remaining stocks of virus in two locations: the Center for Disease Control (CDC), USA, and the State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology (SRCVB VECTOR), Russia.
• The National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System of the CDC presented that highest rates of infection occurred in the burn ICU, the neonatal ICU, and the pediatric ICU.
• The core of the OSHA safety standard is the Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP), which includes a list of chemicals in inventory, availability of SDSs, labeling requirements, record-keeping requirements, and standard operating procedures and housekeeping requirements.
• Safety standards for patients and clinical laboratories are initiated, governed, and reviewed by the following federal agencies and professional organizations: OSHA, U.S. Department of Labor; Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI); CDC, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service (PHS); College of American Pathologists (CAP); and The Joint Commission.
• Microorganisms are classified to risk group 1, unlikely to cause human or animal disease, Low individual and community risk, and risk group 2, potentially able to cause human or animal disease, High individual and community risk.
• Identification of various hazards, including fire, electrical, chemical, and biological, is a crucial measure in safety in the clinical laboratory.
• National Patient Safety Goals, some of which apply specifically to laboratories, are established by The Joint Commission.
• Exposure Control Plan includes safety precautions concerning the handling of all patient specimens, known as Standard Precautions, previously called Universal Precautions.
• A formal safety program is a crucial measure in ensuring safety in the clinical laboratory.
• OSHA and CDC have published numerous safety standards and regulations that are applicable to clinical laboratories.
• Biohazards denote infectious materials or agents that present a risk or even a potential risk to the health of humans or animals in the laboratory.
• A safety officer is a crucial role in ensuring safety in the clinical laboratory.
• Risk factors for the invasion of colonizing pathogens can be categorized into iatrogenic, organizational risk, and patient risk factors.
• Laboratory-Acquired Infections (LAI) is defined as an infection acquired through laboratory or laboratory-related activities regardless of whether they are symptomatic or asymptomatic.
• Repetitive actions such as pipetting or typing are potential sources of motion injuries, including carpal tunnel syndrome.
• Nosocomial infections are caused by viral, bacterial, and fungal pathogens and are defined as hospital-acquired infections.