A conference stream dedicated to the subject of Laboratory Safety and Biosafety will take place at L.A.B. 2007.
The World Health Organisation published its first edition of the Laboratory Biosafety Manual in 1983, making the issue of biosafety essential to laboratories worldwide. Since then, many countries have used guidance provided in the manual to develop codes of practice. The day-long conference at L.A.B. will debate many of the issues raised in the Laboratory Safety Manual.
The conference, which will examine areas such as safety techniques, incident response and the role of management in laboratory safety, is organised by Leipziger Messe and chaired by John Day, Head of Quality and Safety at the Laboratory of the Government Chemist (LGC). LGC is the UK's leading independent provider of analytical and diagnostic services.
He comments: ‘This subject area is both relevant and interesting to professionals from all industry sectors attending L.A.B. The WHO guidance notes encouraged countries to accept and implement basic concepts in biological safety and to develop national codes of practice for the safe handling of materials in laboratories within their geographical borders. However, we still have a long way to go to develop and reinforce these procedures. I look forward to discussing these issues with an international audience from countries across Europe, USA and beyond, to develop and maintain a culture of safety.’
The L.A.B. conference, which takes place 2-3 October, consists of six streams focusing on relevant industry issues. Delegates will also have the opportunity to visit the L.A.B. exhibition itself, thus making direct contact with leading international exhibitors working in the laboratory safety and biosafety fields.
