High-Containment Laboratories Comprehensive and Up-to-Date Policies and Stronger Oversight Mechanisms Needed to Improve Safety
Abstract
Most of the 8 departments and 15 agencies that GAO reviewed had policies that were not comprehensive, and some departments and agencies had policies that were not up to date. Specifically, policies at 5 departments and 9 agencies were not comprehensive because they did not contain all six elements that GAO identified as key for managing biological agents in high-containment laboratories. These elements are incident reporting, roles and responsibilities, training, inventory control, inspections, and requiring adherence to or referencing leading laboratory safety guidance. Three of the 8 departments and 5 of the 15 agencies did not have policies. In addition, as of December 2015, 2 departments and 5agencies did not have up-to-date policies. Comprehensive policies that contain all six key elements and that are reviewed and updated regularly would help departments reduce the risk of mismanaging hazardous biological agents and ensure that their policies convey consistent requirements for oversight, reflect current guidance, and address emerging threats.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 21, 2016
- Accession Number
- AD1172915
Entities
People
- John Neumann
- Marcia G. Crosse
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office