Under the CDC Global Health Security Agenda initiative, IQLS is implementing a Regional Diagnostic Strengthening project in Southeast Asia.
In collaboration with CDC Thailand, Regional Public Health Laboratory Network (RPHLN), and Department of Medical Sciences, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, our IQLS Thailand team (Dr. Shruti Malik and Ms. Ananya Muangkong) organized a Biosafety Cabinet Use and Maintenance (BSC) training between 6-8 September technically supported by ESCO Lifesciences. The workshop aimed to equip laboratory personnel with the necessary skills and knowledge to use and perform daily basic maintenance of BSCs effectively.
The learning objectives comprised of:
- Describing the different types of biosafety cabinets and their components
- Understanding the standard operating procedures for cabinet use and maintenance
- Developing skills for regular cleaning and decontamination of cabinet
- Identifying and troubleshooting common issues related to biosafety cabinets.
- Reading and interpreting BSC certification reports
The training was attended by 13 participants from 6 countries in the Southeast Asia region (Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar, Malaysia, Timor Liste and Cambodia).
The training employed a mix of didactic and practical work sessions. There were practical demonstrations for checking the cabinet airflow, to check the integrity of HEPA filter and for spill management. Simulations were performed for cabinet decontamination
A significant increase in knowledge gain was demonstrated by a 50% increase in the participants’ post test scores. The feedback collected from the participants was extremely encouraging. They found the workshop to be extremely relevant to their day-to-day work imparting them the skills to perform better in their daily work routine using and maintaining BSC.
Average satisfaction rating was 4.6/5