PRECONFERENCE COURSES
Wednesday, June 12, 2024
8:00 – 12:00 PRINCIPLES OF BIOSAFETY FOR OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
Paul Meechan, PhD, MPH, RBP, CBSP; Ellyn Segal, PhD; Maureen Thompson, BSN, RN, COHN-S, RBP
Participants will gain an understanding of biosafety concepts associated with biological materials in various laboratory settings. Class content and discussion will include regulatory standards and guidelines, hazard identification, risk assessment and risk mitigation. This class is appropriate for both healthcare providers and for biosafety professionals who would like to enhance communication and understanding of medical providers’ prospectives.
1:00 – 5:00 BSL3/ABSL3: OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH CONSIDERATIONS
Michelle Gochnour, MN, RN, COHN-S; Maureen Thompson, BSN, RN, COHN-S, RBP; Gary Fujimoto, MD
How do you prevent and treat biological exposures for those working in biosafety level 3 containment? What is different from occupational health for BSL-2 or lower containment? How does work with animals in the BSL-3 impact occupational health? This session will walk through the occupational health program with emphasis on how to plan, execute and update your program. Content will include risk assessment, pre-placement/periodic surveillance and return to work/fitness for duty considerations, exposure and emergency planning, and the role of the occupational health professional.
