Biosafety training programme to improve pandemic response launched
SINGAPORE — Amid concerns over pandemics such as H5N1 and Ebola, a standardised biosafety training programme has been set up for the biomedical and life science industry, which will improve Singapore’s ability to tackle such crises should they break out here.
Consisting of three tiers, the Biosafety Training Structure will map out skills gaps and progression pathways for the industry, which had previously been carrying out disparate biosafety training programmes.
Under the basic programme, biomedical or healthcare workers will go through an orientation course on the safe handling of bio-hazardous materials in laboratories. The Biosafety Professional Programme in the next level addresses the skill requirements for workers looking to move up the ranks as biosafety coordinators and biosafety officers. Both levels are tied to the Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications System (WSQ).
The third level of the training programme caters to experienced workers, who will attend professional workshops and conferences.
The emphasis on standardised training comes on the back of endemic threats in recent years, said Senior Minister of State (Health and Manpower) Amy Khor at the launch yesterday. “The increasingly high traffic across borders and high density populations has made it more challenging to deal with these threats. While Singapore has thus far been spared, we must not take this for granted,” she said.
Dr Khor added that a good starting point would be to ensure biological and biomedical lab workers are well-trained in handling hazardous materials.
Yesterday, an industry-recognised certification for workers who have completed a WSQ module on biosafety practices at work, called Biosafety Passport, was also launched.
Commenting on the standardised training regime, Mr Ang Chai Soon, director of manufacturing at the Workforce Development Agency, said: “If there’s a crisis, we can quickly mobilise people who have been trained. Otherwise, there’s a lag time needed to reassess their competencies before they are deployed.”
The initiatives would offer employers the assurance that workers have a basic level of training, added Mr Jason Khoo, head of health, safety and environment and facilities at global pharmaceutical company Novartis. He estimated that his company would be able to save about five hours of induction training for each worker per year.
