Potential impact of a 2-person security rule on BioSafety Level 4 laboratory workers.
Directors of all major BioSafety Level 4 (BSL-4) laboratories in the United States met in 2008 to review the current status of biocontainment laboratory operations and to discuss the potential impact of a proposed 2-person security rule on maximum-containment laboratory operations. Special attention was paid to the value and risks that would result from a requirement that 2 persons be physically present in the laboratory at all times. A consensus emerged indicating that a video monitoring system represents a more efficient, economical standard; provides greater assurance that pathogens are properly manipulated; and offers an increased margin of employee safety and institutional security. The 2-person security rule (1 to work and 1 to observe) may decrease compliance with dual responsibilities of safety and security by placing undue pressure on the person being observed to quickly finish the work, and by placing the observer in the containment environment unnecessarily.
LeDuc
James W
JW
Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, Galveston National Laboratory, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555-0610, USA. jwleduc@utmb.edu
Anderson
Kevin
K
Bloom
Marshall E
ME
Carrion
Ricardo
R
Feldmann
Heinz
H
Fitch
J Patrick
JP
Geisbert
Joan B
JB
Geisbert
Thomas W
TW
Holbrook
Michael R
MR
Jahrling
Peter B
PB
Ksiazek
Thomas G
TG
D006801:Humans; D007753:Laboratories / Q000592:standards*; D017056:Medical Laboratory Personnel / Q000592:standards*; D012449:Safety / Q000592:standards*; D012637:Security Measures / Q000592:standards*; D014481:United States; D017132:Workplace / Q000592:standards*