National Biosafety and Biosecurity Policy and Guidelines 2022.

This Policy concerns the introduction of a comprehensive biosafety and biosecurity system in Sierra Leone using the One Health Approach, in order to provide the governmental agencies, private and research institutions handling biological agents, chemicals and toxins with the necessary standards and guidelines to deal properly with hazardous substances, identify opportunity for mitigation and prevention of risks and protect workforce and the population against any accidental exposure to or from release of pathogenic agents and toxins. This Policy is structured as follows: 1) introduction and scope; 2) Bio-risk management system requirements, including: general requirements, planning and resources, risk assessment, risk management, objectives targets and programme, monitoring controls, roles, responsibilities and authorities, bio-risk management committee, biological agents and toxin inventory and information, good microbiological procedures, waste management, worker health programme, vaccination of personnel; 3) Infrastructure and operational management, including: transport of biological agents, chemicals and toxins, biosecurity emergency response and contingency plans, monitoring, controls and corrective actions.
Concerning bio-risk management, the Policy focuses on the following guidelines: protecting staff, contractors, visitors, community and environment from biological agents and toxins; reducing the risk to an acceptable level of unauthorised intentional release of hazardous biological materials and pesticides; elaboration of a risk assessment strategy and of an environmental impact assessment; procedures to deal with the storage, transportation, treatment and disposal of hazardous wastes; hazard identification; compliance of all domestic and international transportation of infectious and potentially infectious agents’ materials with the local Regulations; administrative controls for appropriate waste decontamination and disposal; general safety measures; identification of sources of contamination including: paper and plastic waste, waste water, filter and air handling systems, animal carcasses and bedding; pest control programme. Emergency response and contingency plans include: fire, flood, potential loss of biological agents or toxins through theft or any other reason, explosion, environmental release, natural disasters.