emergency preparedness: ricin case study
TRANSCRIPT
Emergency
Preparedness
July 20th, 2015
Triumvirate Environmental and
Georgetown University present:
Glenda Sizer
Director – Risk/Safety/Environment
Georgetown University
Vaughan Harry
Vice President, Mid-Atlantic Region
Triumvirate Environmental Inc.
Bret Skinner
Technical Manager
Triumvirate Environmental Inc.
Introductions
Glenda Sizer – Georgetown University
Vaughan Harry – Triumvirate Environmental, Inc.
Bret Skinner – Triumvirate Environmental, Inc.
Incident Overview
When
• March 2014
What
• SEM notified of potential ricin contamination
Who
• Student suspected of manufacturing ricin in dorm room
Why
• Intent to harm other students
School officials received
tip from student’s
roommate
Ricin Facts
Occurs naturally in castor beans
Can be in the form of powder, mist, pellet or solution
Ricin poisoning is not contagious, but can be spread from person to person via contact with contaminated clothes or body
Prevents cells from making proteins and can cause death in extreme cases
Initial symptoms occur usually in less than 10 hours
Death can occur within 36-72 hours
There is no antidote
Agencies InvolvedDC
HazMat
FBI
Campus Police
Dept. of Health
EPA
DCFEMS
Take Immediate Action
Contact environmental contractor
Assess safety and environmental risk
Determine compliance reporting criteria
Review decontamination procedure
Develop preliminary strategy for decontamination
Communicate with ER team in Incident Command Center
On-Site Response
Conduct assessment of crime scene area
Interact with agencies on scene
Communicate reporting requirements to the agency
Make decisions
• Building evacuation/temporary housing
• Communicating with student body/parents
• Responding to community questions
• Reacting to potential additional findings
Work Plan
Share findingsReport to Incident Command Center
Participate in meetings
Decontamination Procedure
FBI wipe sampling indicated negative
results, therefore the scope of work was
limited to wet wiping hard surfaces with a
bleach solution
Prior to beginning the work the room was
prepared for cleaning; the room was photographed;
belongings were moved to the floor;
windows were opened and plastic was taped over the
HVAC ducts to ventilate the room to
the outside
The cleanup of all hard surfaces was performed with an
8.25% bleach (sodium hypochlorite)
solution. The work was performed in accordance with
Triumvirate’s Standard Operating
Procedure for Biological
Decontamination of Surfaces
One bag of waste was generated
during the decontamination. It was labeled as non-
hazardous waste and stored in
Georgetown’s MAA until it was disposed
of
Lessons Learned
Notify government agencies that may have any interest in the event even if the criteria for reporting may not be met.
The local authorities may not be knowledgeable of requirements or actions needed in such an event and may not be able to provide good advice.
Lessons Learned (cont.)
The safety office may be asked to perform more in the decontamination process than required. Be prepared to provide more services than necessary.
Senior management at the university will rely on the safety office to have a contract in place and a good relationship with an environmental contractor so that emergency response can be implemented quickly and effectively.
Preparing for the Unexpected
Establish a contract with third party environmental consultant for immediate access to their services in an emergency.
Initiate relationships with local emergency responders and agencies.
Preparing for the Unexpected
(cont.)
Develop a relationship/retainer agreement with local hotels if temporary housing is needed for students.
Conduct emergency response exercises using biological or chemical exposure scenarios.
Wrap Up
Have a written plan that can be adjusted based on incident.
Have trained staff members and know what they can and cannot do.
Have a reliable environmental contractor who can handle a multitude of events.
Multi agency response is likely for many situations.
Understand what your reporting requirements are and to whom.
Practice makes perfect. Mock drills are essential.
Questions?
