Incidents, Spills & Unintentional Release

Managing incidents and accidents involving biological materials helps to keep people and the environment safe.

Your efficient and effective response to an incident is vital. All incidents must be reported.

Any incident involving GMOs, microorganisms or biosecurity-controlled goods must be reported to the IBC as soon as possible, and within 24 hours. Email the IBC, or call one of the Research Compliance Officers:

• Dr Amanda Highet, Senior Research Compliance Officer - T:(08) 8313 6105.
• Dr Jess Hall, Research Compliance Officer - T: (08) 8313 3059.

All personnel working with regulated biological goods should be familiar with the protocols in place for dealing with and reporting incidents and for emergency responses.

In the event of an incident or emergency involving regulated biological materials, the following general principles apply:

1. Notify others in the area so that they are aware of any hazards present and can assist with incident response.
2. Where required, alert Emergency Services and/or seek first-aid or medical assistance.
3. Alert the Facility Manager of the incident.
4. Notify Security if the area needs to be isolated or locked down.
5. Consult the area safety manuals, standard operating procedures and risk management plan and, where safe to do so, take emergency actions to manage the risk and contain the GMO, microorganism or biosecurity goods as soon as possible.
6. Alert other relevant personnel including the principal investigator, your supervisor, Head of School, etc.
7. Notify the IBC as soon as possible, and within 24 hours. The IBC shall notify external regulators where required (e.g., OGTR, Department of Agriculture, PIRSA, Department of Health).
8. Prepare and submit incident reports as relevant, including a report to UniSafe where the incident involved a risk to the health and safety of people.

All personnel that deal with regulated biological materials should be familiar with the area safety manuals, standard operating procedures and emergency plan and the protocols for an emergency response. These reference documents should be reviewed regularly and updated as required, particularly when new/different organisms or materials are introduced to an area and when a new or varied containment facility is established. Facility Managers should ensure that all personnel are aware of and have access to the relevant documentation.

Areas should ensure that emergency contact numbers (eg. Facility Manager, Principal Investigators) are easily identifiable to all personnel entering a facility and that appropriate 'after hours' emergency contact details are also included.