Past events & courses

ABSA is co-sponsoring the Workshop on Advancing Containment Practices in Animal Research, taking place March 18–19, 2026 in Atlanta, GA. This in-person workshop presented by the Eagleson Institute and AALAS brings together professionals from across animal research, biosafety, veterinary medicine, occupational health, and facility operations for case-based, cross-disciplinary discussion focused on real-world containment challenges. Registration is open on the Workshop website: www.eagleson.org/aalas

Instructor Matthias Bittner The course explains why the standard for microbiological safety cabinets (BSCs) EN12469:2000 needed updating. How the European standards group came into being for the review. How such an international group operates. The renewed European standard EN12469:2025 is presented, along with its main features and published parts. It details the changes to performance criteria, their testing and the servicing of the devices. It also explains what to look out for when purchasing, installing and routinely maintaining BSCs.

In spring 2024, the International Organization for Standardization, ISO, published the technical specification ISO/TS5441:2024 Competence Requirements for Biorisk Management Advisors (BMA). ISO/TS5441 compiles all information on required knowledge, skills and experience a biorisk management advisor should have to provide competent advice to an organization under a given context, that is, based on the types of activities with biological material and their risk. ISO/TS5441 helps you to demonstrate and update your competence and it supports organization on how to define their competence need and how to choose a BMA. ISO/TS5441 has been designed by biosafety experts from different countries around the globe based on consensus, thus being a truly international specification. The course will inform BMA of all degree of expertise and fields of activities on how ISO/TS5441 supports biorisk management advice activities. ISO/TS5441 can be purchased from national standardization organisations.  The document cannot be shared as proprietary. However, this is not a prerequisite for attending the course.