Emergency Preparedness Plan in TB Lab Settings

The emergency preparedness plan in a tuberculosis (TB) laboratory is a written document that should provide:

• Operational procedures for incidents and accidents while storing or dealing with tubercule bacteria isolates
• Precautions against natural disasters, for example, fire, flood, earthquakes and explosions

Figure: Composition of an Emergency Preparedness Plan

These protocols should follow standard protocols that are put together by organizations such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) and should be tailored to the needs of the laboratory.

The emergency preparedness plan should be prepared by the senior microbiologist/ laboratory technician who heads the laboratory, after due proceedings from the institutional infection control committee.

The plan can be revised from time to time based on the experiences during the course and should contain, who does what, the standard operating procedures for handling the emergency, checklists for operations and logistics, and emergency contact numbers.

The plan should provide operational procedures for the following scenarios:

• Responses to natural disasters such as fires, floods, earthquakes or explosions
• Risk assessments associated with any new or revised procedures
• Managing exposures and decontamination
• Emergency evacuation of people from the premises
• Emergency medical treatment of exposed and injured persons
• Medical surveillance and clinical management of persons exposed to an incident
• Epidemiological investigation and continuing operations after an incident

Considerations for the Emergency Plan

• Location of high-risk areas, such as laboratories and storage areas
• Identification of at-risk personnel and populations
• Identification of emergency procedures according to the level of risk
• Identification of responsible personnel and their duties, such as the biosafety officer, safety personnel, local health authority, clinicians, microbiologists, veterinarians, epidemiologists, fire services and police services
• Treatment and follow-up facilities that can receive exposed or infected persons
• Transport for exposed or infected persons
• How emergency equipment will be provided, such as protective clothing, disinfectants, chemical and biological spill kits, decontamination equipment and supplies

Resources

• Tuberculosis Laboratory Biosafety Manual, WHO, 2012.

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