Laboratory Biosecurity Practices and Plan

This course provides essential practices for those working with high-risk biological materials, clarifying biosafety vs. biosecurity and enabling practical biosecurity planning to prevent theft, misuse, or intentional release.

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About this Course

The Laboratory Biosecurity Practices and Plan course equips learners, including academic students, faculty, and support staff in biotechnology, medical, and related fields, with essential knowledge to manage risks associated with with high risk biological materials amid the rapid expansion of biotechnology over recent decades. It trains participants in personnel security, ensuring only thoroughly vetted and qualified individuals access hazardous biological materials to prevent intentional or unintentional release. By clarifying the distinction between biosafety and biosecurity, the course enables learners to implement practices that safeguard against theft, misuse, or diversion of biological materials.

The course also covers information security to protect sensitive research data and protocols from unauthorized access, reducing the risk of misuse that could harm communities outside the laboratory. Additionally, it emphasizes physical security measures, such as access controls, surveillance, and secure storage, to protect facilities and equipment handling biological materials. Designed for both academic and non-academic learners, including those in IT, campus police, and risk management, this course fosters a comprehensive understanding of biosecurity to support safe biotechnology advancements.

Language Availability: English

Suggested Audiences: Biosafety/Biosecurity Professionals, Compliance Officers, Environmental Health and Safety Professionals, Faculty, Human Resources Professionals, IRB Members, IT Professionals, Physical Plant Personnel, Public Safety Professionals, Staff, Students

Organizational Subscription Price: $675 per year/per site for government and non-profit organizations; $750 per year/per site for for-profit organizations
Independent Learner Price: $99 per person

Course Content

Introduction

This module recognizes the basic biosecurity guidelines and regulatory compliance requirements, distinguishing them from biosafety to protect biological materials from misuse, theft, or loss. Analyze the five pillars of a comprehensive biosecurity program, integrating them with existing biosafety measures to safeguard the nation’s food supply, agriculture, livestock, environment, and populations. Additionally, learners will identify and evaluate risk mitigation strategies, selecting the most effective biosecurity practices to enhance organizational security.

Recommended Use: Required
ID (Language): 21774 (English)
Author(s): Melissa James, MPS, RBP - Yale University

Personnel Training and Awareness

This module discusses the training needs identified with using the risk assessment process for personnel to mitigate laboratory security risks and addresses regulatory training requirements. Based on risk assessments results the types of training needed for personnel to enhance awareness and identify potential insider threats is addressed.

Recommended Use: Required
ID (Language): 21775 (English)
Author(s): Melissa James, MPS, RBP - Yale University

Facility Design and Access Control

Examines federal and state regulations for common biological hazardous materials to identify facility design biosecurity measures to ensure compliance and safety. Key facility design features, such as secure access points and maintenance systems, and examine access control types required to safeguard biosecurity areas will be discussed. Additionally, learners will describe surveillance and monitoring methods, including adaptive technologies and requirements, to support dynamic biosecurity needs in collaboration with organizational departments and community emergency responders.

Recommended Use: Required
ID (Language): 21776 (English)
Author(s): Melissa James, MPS, RBP - Yale University

Biosecurity Areas Operations

Explores the critical need for quarantine procedures to prevent the introduction, spread, or release of hazardous biological materials threatening humans, animals, plants, or the environment. Additionally, the module describes components of transportation procedures for secure material handling and outlines a biosecurity management system for effective communication, including alarm systems to notify security and local law enforcement of breaches.

Recommended Use: Required
ID (Language): 21777 (English)
Author(s): Melissa James, MPS, RBP - Yale University

Contingency Planning and Emergency Action

Learners explore critical events, such as spills, equipment failures, or security breaches, that necessitate tailored contingency and emergency action plans for biosecure laboratory operations. Participants will gain skills to describe containment and decontamination procedures, ensuring high-risk biological materials are safely managed during emergencies while addressing potential biosecurity barriers for responders. Additionally, the module explains the emergency chain of command, detailing roles and responsibilities across Facilities, Security, IT, Environmental Health and Safety, and local responders to ensure seamless integration with organizational plans.

Recommended Use: Required
ID (Language): 21778 (English)
Author(s): Melissa James, MPS, RBP - Yale University

Waste Management

This module discusses waste streams by categorizing infectious, and chemical waste, ensuring compliance with biosecurity regulations and preventing risks to public health and the environment. Learners will develop strategies to protect untreated waste streams, implementing validated processes to secure high-risk biological materials, and collaborate with a multifaceted team to select a contracted waste hauler for safe disposal. Additionally, the module explains waste management training requirements, equipping participants with the knowledge to maintain detailed records of decontamination, destruction, and disposal methods to uphold laboratory biosecurity.

Recommended Use: Required
ID (Language): 21779 (English)
Author(s): Melissa James, MPS, RBP - Yale University

FAQs

Who should take the Laboratory Biosecurity Practices and Plan?

Laboratory personnel, including scientists, technicians, and researchers handling biological agents, should take the Laboratory Biosecurity Practices and Plan course to implement practices like access control and waste management to prevent misuse or theft. Facility and security managers overseeing laboratory operations should enroll to ensure regulatory compliance and integrate biosecurity with existing biosafety programs. Emergency response teams, IT, HR, and compliance officers involved in securing biological materials should also participate in aligning their roles with biosecurity guidelines and risk mitigation strategies.

How long does this course take to complete?

This course consists of six modules and is designed to provide knowledge beyond the basic. The learners may complete the modules at their own pace. Each module varies in length, and learners may require different amounts of time to complete it based on their familiarity and knowledge of this topic. Generally, each module can take about 30 minutes to complete, for a total of 3 hours.

What are the standard recommendations for learner groups?

Laboratory personnel, including researchers and technicians working with laboratory personnel, including research and technicians working with high-risk biological materials or in a biosafety laboratories are recommended to take the Laboratory Biosecurity Practices and Plan course to understand facility design and access control requirements for biosecurity. Information provided in this course will assist facility managers, security personnel, and biosafety officers who are responsible for providing or supporting access to areas where high-risk biological materials are stored or used in a manner that supports the institution's biosecurity practices and plans. IT, emergency response, and contracting staff should participate to align their roles with biosecurity measures, including surveillance, monitoring, and risk assessments for secure facility operations.

What are the advantages of this course?

This course provides a deeper dive into the practices of biosecurity for an institution. It enhances personnel’s understanding of biosecurity, physical, access, and training requirements for high-risk biological materials.

What is the primary difference between biosecurity and biosafety?

Biosecurity focuses on protecting biological materials from misuse, theft, or unauthorized access, aiming to secure the nation’s food supply, agricultural operations, livestock, environment, and populations. Biosafety, on the other hand, primarily aims to prevent accidental releases or exposures to biological agents, protecting public health and the environment. They complement each other by addressing different aspects of biological risk management: biosecurity prevents intentional misuse, while biosafety mitigates accidental risks.

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