DCHAS-L Discussion List Archive

On a positive note it seems that the CDC has developed a culture of disclosing errors, an important step on the road to good safety performance.

W.

> On Dec 31, 2014, at 10:44 AM, "Ralph Stuart" wrote:
>
> http://cenblog.org/the-safety-zone/2014/12/another-biosafety-lapse-at-cdc/
>
> Another biosafety lapse at CDC
> by Jyllian Kemsley
>
> Early last week, news came out that the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention sent live virus internally to a lab not equipped to handle it. One technician was potentially exposed to the virus and is being monitored, but so far she is reportedly showing no signs of the disease.
>
> Stuart Nichol, chief of the CDC's Viral Special Pathogens Branch, attributed the incident to human error, the New York Times reported.
>
> Earlier this year, CDC "closed influenza and anthrax research sites and halted all biological materials shipments from its highest level containment labs following safety breaches that endangered dozens of employees," C&EN reported. The White House Office of Science & Technology Policy subsequently encouraged government and nongovernment labs to do a "safety stand-down" to review safety practices. Here's CDC's summary of the results of the stand-down.
>
> Jyllian Kemsley | December 31, 2014 at 8:30 am | Categories: Featured, Government laboratories | URL: http://wp.me/pRCdG-dCm