Every year, a number of accidents happen in laboratories. Laboratory workers play a huge part in this, yet they face issues of being at risk, or immensely exposed to risks. But what makes the risks real is the acknowledgment and imminence of a consequence. These issues, whether it is biosafety or biosecurity related, have to be addressed, because these issues may affect the laboratory worker itself, other people, and the environment. It is an exhaustion-borne thought, one that needs proper and immediate action.
Biological Risk Association Philippines (BRAP) has been on the move and taking actions on raising awareness of the laboratory workers in this field. Risks bear repeating, so BRAP addresses these issues by conducting seminars and workshops throughout the Philippines.
Last November 7, as a pre-convention workshop to the Philippine Association of Medical Technologists, Inc.’s (PAMET) 52nd Annual Convention held at the Marriott Hotel in Pasay City, BRAP’s founding and incumbent president, Dr. Miguel Martin N.
Dr. Moreno on Biorisk Management Workshop
Moreno II, conducted a full-scale 1-day workshop on biorisk management entitled Empowering Medical Technologists Towards Global Advancement, which follows the convention’s theme.
There was a total of 92 enthusiastic participants coming from different major parts of the Philippines (National Capital Region, North and South Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao) who attended the workshop. The workshop was well represented because the participants came from primary, secondary, and tertiary laboratories.
Different topics that are pertinent in biorisk management were explored. These include: Laboratory Safety Program, where a basic review in laboratory biosafety and biosecurity underlie; also, two tools were introduced to the participants to help them in their assessment of risks in their laboratory: the Activities-based 5×5 Risk Management Matrix and the BioRAM by Sandia National Laboratories.
BRAP has been living out its vision and mission by delivering significant seminars and workshops throughout the Philippines. Since its inception last September 2015, BRAP has had 4 major workshop and seminars carried out, and numerous speaking engagements regarding biosafety, biosecurity, and biorisk management, and there are still more brewing come 2017. If you are interested to become a member of BRAP, please check the BRAP’s website. Directions for bank payment are likewise explained.
Thank you to PAMET National President Mr. Ronnie Puno, CPD Chair Dr. Leila Florento, PAMET National Officers, Regional Directors, and Chapter Presidents for your collaboration.
In the past years, biological laboratory facilities have experienced numerous safety and security issues regarding biological risks, near-misses and incidents, including the underreported and dreaded laboratory-acquired infection. This just proves that implementing the principles of biosafety and the elements of biosecurity followed by a mere inspection for compliance to biosafety and biosecurity is not enough to keep our laboratories safe and secure.
Upon seeing this setup and being fully aware that we need to do something different in addressing the issues and incidents, we turn our focus on the risks that lead to these issues. Thus, the emergence of Laboratory Biological Risk (Biosafety and Biosecurity) Management, or the ‘BRM’.
Biological Risk Association Philippines (BRAP) has spent the last half of 2016 advocating BRM to almost all regional laboratories of the Philippines together with our biggest and closest partner, the Philippine Association of Medical Technologists, Inc. (PAMET). Through BRAP’s founding and incumbent president Dr. Martin Moreno and PAMET’s incumbent president Mr. Ronnie Puno, they have successfully promulgated BRM to different regional sectors during their PAMET’s regional congress in North Luzon (Baguio City), Mindanao (Digos City, Davao del Sur), South Luzon (Legazpi City, Albay) and in the Visayas (Panglao Island in Bohol).
BRAP will end this year’s BRM advocacy with the whole-day BioRisk Management Workshop on November 7, 2016, 8–5 pm, during the Pre-Convention Workshop of the 52nd Annual PAMET National Convention at the Marriott Hotel in Pasay, Manila. This workshop is offered for those who intend to embrace and implement biorisk management systems in their facilities and operations, including laboratories of biological research, clinical diagnostics, and production/manufacturing industries. Collaboration of these laboratories will be sought by BRAP to establish a national baseline biological risk level.
BioRisk Association of the Philippines 2015, Inc. (BRAP2015) 