Simulated Safety & Operations Training to be Conducted in Biolab Facility in 2009
Boston University
For Immediate Release
Aug 11, 2008
Contact: Ellen Berlin, 617-638-8491, ellen.berlin@bmc.org
(Boston)—Boston University Medical Center today announced a proposal to commence public safety, health, and operations training at the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL) in mid-February 2009. Scientists along with city, state, and federal officials will participate in exercises that test safety, health, and operational procedures in conjunction with police, fire, and other first responder agencies.
During the training exercises no research will be conducted and no research agents will be used in the building. The training exercises provide the opportunity for scientists and city, state, and federal agencies to develop, test, and practice safety and emergency response procedures at the South End facility. As part of this training, community representatives will also be able to become familiar with research standards and safety protocols.
While the ongoing legal and regulatory issues regarding use of the laboratory for biosafety research continue, BUMC will use this time for training and familiarizing research and safety personnel with the facility. BUMC officials also said they will reach out to the community to explain this proposal through the Community Liaison Committee (a citizens advisory group that facilitates communication and information flow between the NEIDL and the community) placing information on the website, and advertising in local media.
“Until the regulatory and judicial processes are complete, no research will take place in the lab,” said Mark Klempner, Principal Investigator of the NEIDL. “This training period also will provide an opportunity for the community to learn more about how biosafety research in research labs is carried out and about the many safety protocols in place to protect our scientists and the community from harm.”
Simulations of laboratory-specific training exercises will be based on protocols from published research. These simulations will be full scale “walk through” dress rehearsals of each step in the process that led to acquiring the data that resulted in the published research.
It is anticipated that the training exercises will begin in mid-February 2009, and will be conducted with BUMC researchers, technicians, laboratory safety personnel, Public Safety personnel; and, city, state and federal safety and regulatory agencies, and community residents. These will be some of the most comprehensive biosafety laboratory trainings ever simulated in a laboratory environment combined with the most extensive participation of internal and external personnel in a facility of this kind in the country.
These exercises will provide the opportunity to test and revise the scientific standard operating procedures (SOPs); overlay emergency responses (internal and external) to simulated incidents; familiarize regulatory departments and agencies with laboratory operations; and, familiarize community residents with how research protocols will be conducted in the laboratories.
Construction on the laboratory will be completed at the end of August. BUMC will apply for an occupancy permit and will only use the facility for administrative and training purposes at this time. The following tests/inspections are required: fire alarm testing, stair pressurization testing, elevator testing, life safety inspection and a final inspection by the Boston Inspectional Services Department.
The building is located at Albany Street on the Boston University Medical Campus in Boston’s South End. Construction on the building began in March 2006 and will be substantially completed in August with laboratory systems installation and testing continuing into 2009. The $198 million facility is jointly funded by the National Institute for Allergies and Infectious Diseases, a part of the NIH, and Boston University Medical Center. The seven story, 192,000 square foot building was designed by CUH2A of Princeton, New Jersey, and construction was managed by the national firms of Turner Construction Company and McCarthy Construction.