Managing Biological Safety in Partnership with the HSE

1
Managing Biological Safety in Partnership with
the HSE

• Introduction
• Alastair G Reid
• Director of Health and Safety

2
Background

• HSC/HSE consideration of their regulatory
  techniques and intervention strategy
• Backdrop of HSE Policy Unit noting increasing
  public antipathy to paternalistic regulation
• Partnership working is one of 13 identified
  intervention techniques
• Consultation process on regulation and
  intervention is under way

3
Background

• HEIs largely seen as good candidate for self
  regulation
• Few general HSE inspections in recent years
  tends to be specialist inspections such as
  GM/pathogen areas (last in 2001)
• HSEs new partnership approach to biological
  safety to be welcomed

4
GM Prosecution 1999

• U of E successfully prosecuted under the GM
  (Contained Use) Regulations, 1992
• Specialist Inspector noted no risk to health nor
  to the environment
• Procurator Fiscal arrived at plague and
  pestilence early in her submission
• Salutary lesson in more ways than one

5
Post - GM Prosecution 1999

• Monitoring and control of Biosafety activities
  tightened considerably training markedly
  increased
• Appointment of UBSA in early 2003. Recent full
  review and revision of Part 6 of UHS Policy
• Clear that enforcement action will be taken where
  HSE detect breach no false sense of security!