Past events & courses

A lack of competence has contributed to a number of major accidents and has been identified as a key underlying cause of incidents in biocontainment facilities.

Organizations are required to ensure that procedures for the safe and secure transport of biological materials are established and maintained in accordance with legal requirements for the transport of dangerous goods. 

The course will enable the participant to:Identify and understand the biohazards and risk associated with rearing invertebratesUnderstand the factors that should be considered when designing and/or assessing a facility used to rear invertebrates.Get a practical view on the operation and management of such facilities including the management of waste and incidents.

Energy efficiency is a valuable means to address the unprecedented challenges we face resulting from increased dependence on energy imports, scarce energy resources, climate change, and the need to overcome the economic crisis.

Biohazards are only part of the many hazards present in microbiological laboratories and Biosafety Professionals may be unaware of the overlaps between their own discipline and other health fields. 

Preventing exposure to hazardous agents has long been a driving force within high containment facilities, but BSL2 laboratories are often seen as safe ground.

This course will both give a theoretical overview of the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in BSL2 andBSL3 laboratories and also practical experience with different sorts of PPE.

What is exactly new about ‘new techniques’ and are these ‘new’ techniques inherently associated with ‘new’ risks? What is synthetic biology and to which extent its areas of research become part of current research conducted by your colleagues ? What are the aspects a biosafety officer should look for when conducting a risk assessment? What is meant by ‘safety by design’ and what are possibilities and limitations?

Recent breaches of biosafety and biosecurity have emphasised that management failure is normally the root cause of accidents and incidents with biological agents and toxins. Implementation of a systematic biorisk management system, e.g. adopting the CWA 15793 can help organisations manage these risks.