10th Annual International High Containment Biosafety Workshop

May 15 – 20, 2011
Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health
National Microbiology Laboratory, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

The Public Health Agency of Canada National Microbiology Laboratory together with The International Centre for Infectious Diseases, Sandia National Laboratories and Merrick & Company are pleased to present the 10th Annual International High Containment Biosafety Workshop.

This workshop addresses the increasing needs of biosafety professionals, facility operators and managers for advanced training in critical aspects of biocontainment.

This rigorous five-day course allows participants to work hands-on in the special containment and facility support areas (BSL 3 and 4) of the Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health, one of the world's most recognized containment laboratory complexes.

Workshop topics include for example:

• Design and operation of containment laboratories
• Methodology and application of risk assessments
• Personal protective equipment use and assessment
• Principles and practices of containment laboratory entry/exit
• Assessment and performance verification of primary and secondary containment devices
• Monitoring and testing for decontamination; practices and procedures
• Response to emergencies and biological spills
• Implementation of high impact training programs
• Safety and quality management systems in the laboratory
• Lessons learned in facility design and construction

The uniqueness of this workshop is its intensive, participatory learning approach. Teams of 4-6 work with different instructors each day to complete technical modules, supplemented by plenary lectures and discussions. Space is limited and participants are determined through a critical review of applications.

Following successful completion of this five day workshop our participants will be able to:

• Create a biosafety inspection checklist and employ the checklist during safety evaluation of others; describe and apply proper safety techniques while working in a biological safety cabinet
• Interpret a standard operating procedure and apply the protocol
• Prepare local first responders for an emergency in your lab and understand how high containment adds complexity; determine what steps to take in an emergency situation
• Define risk, conduct a risk assessment for biosafety and/or biosecurity, characterize and evaluate risk and communicate the issues around risk acceptance
• Describe and understand the pros and cons of various gaseous and vaporous technologies for decontamination and illustrate how to retrofit existing high containment laboratories for gas/vapour based decontamination
• Select proper personal protective equipment (PPE)and apply fundamentals of respiratory fit testing; assess spill hazards and formulate a response plan
• Identify different biosafety cabinets (BSC), how they function and which is appropriate for given applications; identify requirements for annual BSC certification

Learning objectives will be assessed through a pre- and post-workshop assessment. All aspects of the course will be conducted in English.

Directly preceding this course, the Laboratory Biorisk Management System Workshop is being offered May 10th- 13th, 2011. We encourage participants to attend both courses because the content is complementary. For participants who register in both courses, there will be a 10% discount on the course fees for the International High Containment Workshop. Click here for more information.

If you have questions or need more information, please contact us at biorisk@icid.com.