The Frederick News-Post obtained copies of the mishap and occupational hazard reports from the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infecti…

The Frederick News-Post published mishap reports from USAMRIID on www.fredericknewspost.com. On Jan. 5, USAMRIID noted it had failed to redact…

The Frederick News-Post obtained copies of the mishap and occupational hazard reports from the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infecti…

The Frederick News-Post obtained copies of the mishap and occupational hazard reports from the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infecti…

The Frederick News-Post obtained copies of the mishap and occupational hazard reports from the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infecti…

Safety in the workplace

Researchers at NBACC, NIAID-IRF and USAMRIID are trained on nearly every aspect of their work in the lab, including how to put on a biosafety suit, how to go through the chemical shower and how to safely open a vial.

Dr. David Harbourt, of USAMRIID, and Dr. Pat Fitch, of NBACC, discussed the challenges of balancing risk management with work efficiency.

"It is always going to be a balancing act between work throughput and safety, but we always maintain constant communication with our suite personnel," Harbourt said.

Fitch said the safety precautions will always impede efficiency.

"It's not just a rubber stamp," he said; the precautions are in place to make sure researchers do their work safely.

"They think it's (the safety office's) job to tell them the right way to do it," Fitch said.