"Vulnerability Assessment:
Effective Education For the Unexpected"
Gary Novak, Johns Hopkins University
Colleen Deitrich, Synectic Resources Inc.
Rick Deitrich, Synectic Resources Inc.Contents: Vulnerability Assessment - Hazardous Materials - Research Animals - Facilities
Effective Education - Interactive TrainingVulnerability Assessment
Hazard Identification:
• Geographical Impact
• Hazardous Materials
• Facilities
• Research Animals
As we have heard from those who have experienced disasters at their facility locations, we can draw some important conclusions with respect to specific factors that will help us identify specific hazards. Identification of these hazards provide us with important information as we conduct a vulnerability assessment.
We have seen the impact of geographical location with respect to natural disasters that include floods, earthquake, tornadoes, winter storms, hurricanes and tropical storms.
WEB Information Access:
Historic hurricanes
Visit this site: www.esri.com/hazards/
Historic tornadoes
Historical data can provide us with valuable information with respect to the areas most vulnerable to hurricanes and tornadoes. FEMA and ESRI have formed a National Partnership in part aimed at providing multi-hazard maps and information to U.S. residents, business owners, schools, community groups, and local governments via the Internet at http://www.esri.com/hazards/ The information provided in this web site is intended to assist in building disaster resistant communities across the country by sharing geographic knowledge about local hazards.
• Chemical
• Microbiological agents
• Radioactive materials
• Biological Waste
Vulnerability Assessment
Hazardous materials that are used within the facility must be stored and secured in areas that can be contained based on a risk assessment of potential events, earthquake, hurricane, tornado, etc. Emergency procedures for containment and clean-up of hazardous materials requires immediate response in the event of spills or release of hazardous materials,
• Water: Decontamination
• Feed: Supply and storage
• Disease: Diagnosis and Disinfection
• Security: Access
The vulnerability of research animals presents unique challenges when developing a disaster plan. In comparison to research data which can be backed-up and stored offsite or evacuation plans for personnel, without advanced notice animals cannot be relocated easily. The survivability of the animals will be dependent on providing water, feed, and ventilation during the disaster. Security issues and the potential spread of disease must also be taken into consideration.
Facilities:
• Ventilation
• Lighting
• Plumbing
Sump Pump Failure
Location: Below grade animal facility
Rack washer pit
Time of day:
Late afternoon
Damage:
Entire sub-basement level,
3 inches of waste water
- Facility contamination
- Economic loss???Disaster planning may overlook unpredictable and what may be thought of as unlikely events. Three events occurred that at first glance may appear to be minor but could have a major effect on research animals. These three events point to several possible occurrences that may be overlooked in developing a research animal facility disaster plan. Facility managers and directors must carefully evaluate not only the primary hazards such as flood, fire and storms, but must also include facility events and failures in their vulnerability and risk assessment.
The first event occurred when the primary and secondary sump pumps that removed waste water from the below grade animal facility failed. This pump failure occurred in the late afternoon. There was no alarm system and only when the cage wash staff noticed that water was filling the rack washer pit did we suspect that something was wrong. Since the sump pumps removed waste water from all areas on this below grade floor the water was filling the pit rapidly. Before the pumps could be repaired the entire sub-basement animal facility was covered in three inches of waste water. Fortunately, the water did not result in any loss of animals but equipment and supplies were contaminated and the entire area had to be decontaminated.
Pipe Leak
Location:
Drain line from Radiology film
processor above ceiling
Time of day:
Sometime between 4:30 pm and 8:00 am
the following morning
Damage:
Five cages of transgenic mice
- Foundation colony
- Economic loss????Sometime between 4:30 PM and 8:00 AM the following morning a drain line from a film processor located on the floor above the animal facility failed. This pipe was located above the ceiling of a mouse room. Film processors operate continuously and water is always flowing through the unit. Apparently the drain pipe was corroded by the waste film processing chemicals and developed a leak. This leak was not discovered until the following morning. Unfortunately this drain pipe was located directly above a mouse rack housing a breeding colony of transgenic mice. Several cages were flooded and the mice drowned. The flooded cages contained the founders for this line. The economic loss for the founders was $3,500.00 for the cost of the transgenic mice, but this cost does not include the lost research time and effort that went into developing this colony. Do you know what is above the ceilings in your animal rooms? Plumbing fixtures located behind walls and above ceilings should be included in your vulnerability and risk assessment.
Power Failure
Location:
Research Building
Three incoming power feeder circuits
Overload and failure of transfer switch
Time of day:
Early morning 8:00 am
Early summer
Damage:
Emergency power generator operational
for life support only.
- Corridor lighting only
- No HVAC
- No loss of animals: room temperature increase
- Low temperature refrigeration equipment
- Economic loss????The third occurrence was a very unlikely and unpredictable event. The research building is located on the hospital lot. Because life support is a critical issues in a hospital environment, this building was supplied with three incoming power feeder circuits. All three incoming lines would have to fail before all power was lost. If one line failed, power was redirected by a transfer switch to the next incoming line. In order for all power to be lost, all three lines would have to fail at the same time. A very unlikely event. A very unusual event occurred. The transfer switch overloaded and caught fire early on a summer day. The emergency power generators operated but provided power for hospital life support functions only. The animal facility had emergency corridor lighting only. The HVAC system was not operational. The power failure lasted for 10 hours. Temperatures in the animal rooms increased and there was no loss of animals. The major loss resulted from loss of power to low temperature refrigeration equipment. Several researchers lost all samples contained in the freezers that lost power.
Many rodent facilities use individually ventilated cage systems. Are these units supplied by emergency power? How long can the animals survive if power is lost? Is the facility HVAC system on emergency power? Are critical pieces of equipment on emergency power circuits? These systems need to be evaluated and included in your vulnerability and risk assessment.
Principle: The process of planning is more important than the written document that results.
People internalize the information in the process of planning.
The process of planning is as important as the written document that results! As a disaster plan is being created, the individuals involved in the planning will internalize the information through the brainstorming process.
The key to implementing a disaster plan will involve effective education and training of personnel. As important as a disaster plan is, it can give us the illusion that we are prepared for a disaster. This is called the “Paper Plan Syndrome”. It is essential that a disaster plan be tied to an effective training program.
Researchers have found that everyone has a primary learning style. The seven we will look at are interpersonal, logical-mathematical, linguistic-verbal, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, intra-personal and visual-spatial.
The first learning style referred to as the interpersonal learner, is an individual who enjoys group discussions and interactions with an instructor. The logical-mathematical learner enjoys puzzles and number problems. Linguistic-verbal learners have the ability to sit through an hour of lecture and retain most of the information. Musical learners love relating new information to music. Most people learned their ABC’s through singing and many teenagers listen to CD’s and radios as they study! Bodily-kinesthetic learners like hands-on experiences and using their bodies to experience new information. Intra-personal learners tend to learn on their own, preferring self-instruction over group learning. The new on-line courses offered by many colleges are engaging to these students. Visual-spatial learners need to see what is being taught in pictures, graphs, video or in person.
The three learning styles that most people prefer are linguistic-verbal, 12-18%, bodily-kinesthetic, 18-30% and visual-spatial, 60-72%. Developing training programs appealing to these learning styles will not only engage the learners but improve the retention of the material.
Blended Learning Opportunities
Blended learning opportunities, a method of using several learning strategies to meet all learning styles, is important in developing an effective training program. By using instructor led learning, hands-on experience, computer based training and mentoring together, you will increase the success of your training program.
Instructor led learning, one common in most training experiences, is important for direct delivery of information and allows for interaction with students and instructors. Hands-on experiences are invaluable in training of specific task related information. Computer based training is quite effective for use both in preview as well as review of training material. Mentoring is a process where someone further along in a particular position is willing to guide and help new or less experienced co-workers. This can be effective for both the trainee as well as the mentor. These four training methods, blended together, will improve the effectiveness of your training program.
Learner Centered Training
Effective training will be learner centered. This means it must be flexible, it must accommodate different learning styles and it should actively involve the individual. Other crucial aspects are that it must motivate the individual, it must be relevant to the job task at hand and the learner should be responsible for the material covered. Some form of assessment should be included to insure the information has been internalized.
Instructor led training, hands-on training and self-paced training such as computer based training are significant tools when they are learner centered.
• Gain the learners attention with a visual
• Inform the learner of the objectives
• Stimulate recall of prior experience
• Use graphics, photos and video
• Present instruction in small steps
• Involve employees through active participation
• Assess performanceInteractive training is self-paced, allows individuals to participate in the learning process and is only effective when you employ good educational strategies. By gaining the learners attention immediately with a visual, you have increased their interest. Informing the learner of the objectives or goals of the training allows the learner to understand the necessity of the training. If the learner has had prior experience of the subject, bringing that to the forefront can help increase the understanding of the subject. Using graphics, photos and video will enhance and speed up the training process. A picture is worth a thousand words and videos of a procedure can be invaluable. Presenting instruction in small steps helps the learner grasp complicated procedures. This is called “chunking” and is important in task-related material. Active participation is important to internalize the training. Assessment is necessary after small “chunks” of information to be sure the material presented has been retained.
Effective interactive training will appeal to all the learning styles and will easily fit into a blended learning program.
Emergency
Building water supply cut off
Response
Condition: Water main brake
1. Racks with automatic watering
2. Possible Contamination of
water supply following repair.
3. No available water source for
filling bottles or reserve water
source.
1. Supply cages with sterile
water gel package.
2. Fold package
3. Carefully cut a 2” opening
4. Place opening down in wire
lid pocket or in the cage.For example, here we have an emergency condition during a building water supply cut off due to a water main brake. The training presentation outlines the condition, the immediate risk to the animals and the response that is to be taken. The instructions are clear with visuals showing how to respond to the emergency situation. In addition to using text and visuals, some training areas can include interactive audio and video if needed.
Disaster Training Development
• Instructional Design
• Simulation
• Evaluation
• Implementation
• Practice +++++Disaster training, to be effective, should include the following five elements. Instructional design based on the seven learning styles, a walk through simulation of the disaster plan, evaluation of the simulation, implementation of the plan after making necessary changes and practice, practice, practice. Disaster simulation helps identify any changes that need to be made to the plan and practice allows individuals to internalize the plan. By developing a complete disaster training program, you will empower your people with the confidence needed to face any unexpected event.
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