Microbial industrial accidents can occur due to unsafe conditions and the release of pathogens. Younger workers are more at risk of accidents than older workers. Prevention efforts include improving ventilation, isolation of contamination sources, proper training, and use of personal protective equipment. Accidents are investigated and lessons learned are implemented to minimize future risks.

1. Microbial Industrial Accidents,
Prevention and Preparedness
Presented By:
Jyoti

2. Microbial Industrial Accidents
 Accidental infections and injuries in microbiological
industries.
 Unsafe conditions caused 80% of the accidents.
 Release of undetected amount of pathogen to the worker’s
environment – Micro mistakes.
 Younger workers experienced more accidents than older
workers.

3. Biological Hazards
 Refers to the organisms or organic matter produced by the
organisms that are harmful to human health.
 Includes bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites.
 Most hazardous forms of infectious microorganisms- Dried
cultures, infected eggs and aerosolized cultures .

4. Harmful effects posed to human health by biological
hazards are mainly of three types:-
 Infections
 Allergy
 Poisoning

5. Hazards in fermentation plant
Dealing with very high
concentrations of microorganisms
The microorganisms used in
fermentation industry may or may
not be pathogenic and release of
pathogenic microorganisms is
dangerous to the surroundings.
The microbial hazards can occur
at all stages of fermentation
activity but the most crucial stage
is when microorganisms are grown
in fermenter.

6.  The reason for Escape of microorganisms from the
fermenter:
 Poor handling (i.e. poor microbiological techniques).
 Accidental discharge or Poor containment of
microorganisms in the fermenter.
 In aerobic fermenter, air released through the exhaust
outlet is contaminated.
 Sudden release of pressure through valve.

7. Catering accident in food industry in
Romania
 Most human food infections were caused by bacteria viz.
Staphylococcus aureus , Clostridium prefringens (Serotype A) ,
Clostridium botulinum, Campylobacter, E.coli 0157:H7,
Salmonella sp and viruses like Calici virus (Norwalk virus)
 The main serotype of Salmonella sp isolated in this accident were:
 S. montevideo
 S.munchen
 S.enteritidis
 S.newport
 S.stanley

8.  Food borne illness appeared when contaminated food
contains 108 cfu/g bacteria.
 Symptoms of food borne illness are:
 Superior digestive syndrome (nausea, vomiting)
 Inferior digestive syndrome (gastroenteritis, colonenteritis)
 Neurological syndrome (paralysis, neuromotor
disturbances)

9. Reasons
 In Restaurants when heat treatment was not sufficient to
destroy all endospores.
 Food stuffs favouring anaerobic conditions and moderate
temperature.
 Food prepared and repeatedly cooled but left at room
temperature.
 Food contaminated by animal and bird feces.

10. E.coli outbreaks in Germany due to
overuse of antibiotics in medicine
 In the U.S, billions of doses of powerful antibiotics are
administered to farm animals every year.
 These drugs are not given to cure disease it would appear that large
doses of antibiotics can modify the gut of perfectly healthy
animals.
 This practice is banned in the U.S, but even farmers administered
huge quantities of antibiotics to pigs, cows and chickens to cure
and prevent disease.
 Intensive, industrial farming seems to be a dangerously efficient
way of generating antibiotic-resistance among common gut
bacteria

11.  In Northern Germany, the
highly infectious and
virulent new strain of
E.coli emerges i.e. E.coli
O104:H4.
 Most concern causing
factor in this accident was
–E.coli O104:H4 antibiotic
resistance.
 20 people were dead and
100 were seriously killed
with the naustly kidney
disease.

13. CAUSES
 Particular outbreak appears to be caused by combinations
of microbes- two older strains of E.coli which have
hybridized and mutated, plus unrelated virus that has
infected the bacteria, giving them the gene to produce
Shiga toxin. This causes the complications called
Haemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS)
 HUS damages kidney and blood vessels.
 E.coli O104:H4 is resistant to all most all commonly
prescribed antibiotics.

14.  Even if the antibiotics worked perfectly against this
germs, doctors would never prescribed them because
in destroying the microorganisms, the drug would
hasten the release of Shiga toxin as the bacterial cell
bursts.

15. Poor sanitation in Pharmaceutical
industry
 Federal inspection of a company whose tainted pain
medicine has caused one of the most public health drug
disaster and meningitis outbreak .
 25 people have died, 313 have fallen ill and 14,000 are
believed to have been exposed.

16. Reasons
 Greenish yellow residue on the sterilization equipment.
 Air conditioner was shut off at night.
 Excavators and freight trucks heaped old mattresses,
plastic and other material generating large amount of
dust .
 Most worst thing is that surfaces in the clean rooms
contaminated with either bacteria or mold exceeding at
the highest level.

17. Paralysis case spike in wake of Bill
Gates- Polio vaccination efforts in India
 While Polio has statistically disappeared in India there
has been a huge spike in cases of Non Polio Acute Flaccid
Paralysis (NPAFP) the very type of crippling problem.
 47500 Cases of Non polio paralysis reported in 2011.
 The national rate of NPAFP in India is 25-35 times the
international average.

18. Reasons
 In comparison to 47500 cases of NPAFP, only 100-120
cases of paralysis per year in India admittedly linked
directly to receiving the polio vaccines.
 A Government enquiry confirmed the effects of polio
vaccine funded under the GAVI and revealed that GAVI
Alliances was recommending untested medicine.
 GAVI recommended vaccines will be suspended until
testing showed their safety and efficacy.

19. Brucella abortus infections
 Accidental breakage of polystyrene centrifuge tubes
containing live microorganism during transfer of tubes.
 12 workers were infected.
 Antibody titers were evaluated weekly in all personnel
exposed.
 Allowing the diagnosis of the infection in most cases
before onset of clinical symptoms.

20. Precautions
 Person that caused the accident used directly:
 Applied 3% phenol solution.
 Paper towels.
 Soaked with same germicide to immediately
decontaminate the area.
 Wearing a single use mask and gloves.
 The laboratory was evacuated with in 45 minutes and the
germicide was removed after 60 min.

21.  Brucellosis
 Transmission of Brucella occur through consumption of
raw milk and cheese.
 Person to person transmission is rare.
 Inhalation of the infected fluid allowing the entry of
Brucella through the respiratory mucosa.

22. Treatment
 Combination of Tetracyclin or Doxycyclin with
Streptomycin or Rifampicin.
 Period 4-6 weeks.

23. A national outbreak of Salmonella
enteritidis infections
 S.enteritidis has become most commonly reported
serotype of Salmonella causing disease in humans.
 Nationwide outbreak of S. enteritidis infections due to
consumption of ice cream made by large national
producer.
 Largest common vehicle outbreak of Salmonellosis ever
recognized in the US.
 Infection occur with in one week after consumption of
Schwann’s ice cream.

24. Symptoms
 Diarrohea
 Fever
 Gastrointestinal illness
 Stools from patients were also
contain other pathogenic
micro organisms Shigella,
Campylobacter, E.coli
O157:H7 and S.thompson
 11 S.enteritidis isolated in
Minneosta

25. Reason
 Cross contamination of
pasteurized ice cream premix
occurred during transport in
tanker that had previously
hauled non pasteurized liquid
eggs.
 Prevention:
 Improved techniques are used
in the food industry to ensure
food safety.
 HACCP

26. Oil Spillage Accident
 Oil spills occur due to accidents
in the industry .
 Oil drilling or transportation
leads to contamination of the
environment
 Oil spills in marine
environments are especially
damaging because they cannot
be contained and can spread
over huge areas. The aromatic
compounds in oil are toxic to
living organisms and such spills
can render havoc in an
ecosystem.

27.  Natural seepages from unexplored oil sources is another source
of contamination.
 Microbial population changes were monitored immediately
after oil spill accident .
 The total cell number was almost stable for one year at 2–5
105 cells mL−1, while the relative occurrence of culturable
heterotrophs and degraders of oil components such as C-heavy
oil, kerosene, and n-tetradecane varied, showing a maximum
(>50% of the total) immediately following the accident.
 Microbial community composition in oil-contaminated
seawater was estimated at the molecular level using newly
developed oligo nucleotide probes, probe wash-off curve
estimation, and quantitative fluorescence dot-blot hybridization
techniques.

28.  In the environment, such spills are naturally cleaned by
microorganisms that can break down the oil.
 The dominant group of such bacteria are the
Hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria (HCB).
 One of the best studied representative of this group is
Alcanivorax borkumensis.
 This species contains individual genes responsible for
breaking down certain alkanes into harmless products.
 It also possesses genes to direct the production of a layer
of biosurfactant around the cell to enhance the oil
emulsification.

29.  These are degraded by representatives of other genera such as
 Micrococcus
 Rhodococcus
 Chromobacterium
 Bacillus
 Pseudomonas
 Candida
 Saccharomyces and others.
 In the clean up of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, genetically
modified microorganisms were used, but some scientists
suspect they might have caused health issues for people in the
affected areas.

30. Yr Events Agents Vehicle Infected Death Notes
2003 United States
green Largest foodborne
2003 Hepatitis A Hepatitis A 555 3
onions Hepatitis outbreak
outbreak
Largest foodborne
Salmonella
2008 United States
outbreak in peanut
salmonellosis
2008 Salmonella peanuts >200 9 butter. One of the
outbreak in
largest food recalls
peanuts
in United States
history.
2008 Canadian
Deadliest
listeriosis outbreak
2008 Listeria cold cuts >50 22 foodborne outbreak
in cold cuts
in Canada
Second deadliest
2011 United States bacterial foodborne
2011 listeriosis outbreak Listeria cantaloupe 146 30 outbreak in US.
in cantaloupes Second deadliest
Listeria outbreak.

31. Prevention and Preparedness
 Elimination of source of contamination.
 Improvement of ventilation.
 Partial isolation of the contamination source.
 Air conditioning system and use of ultraviolet.
 If the contact with biological hazards can not be
prevented the employees must use personel protective
equipment and personal hygiene.

32.  Eating, drinking, smoking, applying cosmetics, and
storing food for human consumption must not be
permitted in laboratory areas.
 Food must be stored outside the laboratory area in
cabinets or refrigerators designated and used for this
purpose.
 Mouth pipetting is prohibited; mechanical pipetting
devices must be used.
 Policies for the safe handling of sharps, such as needles,
scalpels, pipettes, and broken glassware must be
developed and implemented.
Cont..

33.  Needles must not be bent, sheared, broken, recapped,
removed from disposable syringes, or otherwise
manipulated by hand before disposal.
 Used disposable needles and syringes must be carefully
placed in conveniently located puncture-resistant
containers used for sharps disposal.
 Non-disposable sharps must be placed in a hard walled
container for transport to a processing area for
decontamination, preferably by autoclaving.
 Broken glassware must not be handled directly.

34.  Perform all procedures to minimize the creation of
splashes and/or aerosols.
 Decontaminate work surfaces after completion of work
 Decontaminate all cultures, stocks, and other potentially
infectious materials before disposal using an effective
method.
 Materials to be removed must be packed in accordance
with applicable local, state, and federal regulations.
 Biohazard symbol must be posted at the entrance to the
laboratory
 An effective integrated pest management program is
required.

35. Training
 Laboratory workers have specialized education,
knowledge, and skills, but quite often may not be
qualified in health and safety.
 Train all laboratory workers so that they are able to:
 Recognize the health and safety hazards of their work
 Use established work practices and procedures to protect
their health and safety and that of their co-workers
 Take special care when working with new materials

36. Safety Equipment (Primary Barriers and
Personal Protective Equipment)
 Special containment devices or equipment, such as
BSCs, are not generally required.
 Protective laboratory coats, gowns, or uniforms are
recommended to prevent contamination of personal
clothing.
 Wear protective eyewear when conducting procedures
that have the potential to create splashes of
microorganisms or other hazardous materials.
 Gloves must be worn to protect hands from exposure to
hazardous materials.
Remove gloves and wash hands when work with
hazardous materials has been completed and before
leaving the laboratory.

38. Laboratory Facilities (Secondary
Barriers)
 Laboratories should have doors for access control.
 Laboratories must have a sink for hand washing.
 The laboratory should be designed so that it can be easily
cleaned.
 Laboratory furniture must be capable of supporting anticipated
loads and uses.
 Bench tops must be impervious to water and resistant to heat,
organic solvents, acids, alkalis, and other chemicals.
 Chairs used in laboratory work must be covered with a non-
porous material that can be easily cleaned and
decontaminated with appropriate disinfectant.

39. BSL Agents Practices
1 Not known to consistently cause Standard microbiological
diseases in healthy adults. practices.
2 Agents associated with human BSL-1 practice plus:
disease Limited access
Routes of transmission include per- Biohazard warning signs
cutaneous injury, ingestion, mucous “ Sharps” precautions
membrane exposure Biosafety manual defining any
needed waste decontamination
or medical surveillance policies
3 Indigenous or exotic agents that may cause serious or BSL-2 practice plus:
potentially lethal disease through the inhalation route Controlled access
of exposure.  Decontamination of all waste
 Decontamination of laboratory
clothing before laundering
4 Dangerous/exotic agents which post high BSL-3 practices plus:
individual risk of aerosol-transmitted laboratory Clothing change before entering
infections that are frequently fatal, for which there Shower on exit
are no vaccines or treatments. All material decontaminated on
Agents with a close or identical anti-genic exit from facility
relationship to an agent requiring BSL-4 until data
are available to redesignate the level.
Related agents with unknown risk of transmission

40. Related Legislation
 The following regulations made under the Occupational
Health and Safety Act apply to laboratories:
 Regulations for Industrial Establishments
 Regulations respecting Control of Exposure to
Biological or Chemical Agents
 Workplace Hazardous Materials Information
 System Regulation
 Regulation respecting X-Ray Safety
 Regulation respecting Health Care and Residential
Facilities

41. Quality control in the production of
parenteral drugs
 To ensure the sterility of parenteral drugs , quality
control methods are employed
 Sterile testing
 Product supplementation with anti microbial
preservatives
 These processes prevent adulteration and microbial
contamination

42.  cGMP and FDA enforces regulations that govern all
pharmaceutical companies.
 They are intended to assure:
 Proper design.
 Monitoring and control of all manufacturing procedures
to confirm sterility and quality of products.
 Manufactured parenteral drug products are sterile prior
to administration.

43. Using HACCP as a food Safety
Regulatory Standard
 HACCP is more economically efficient approach to food safety
regulation than command and control (CAC).
 International regulatory standard.
 HACCP was mandated through regulation for sea food in
1994,meat and poultry in 1996 and for fresh fruit juice in 1998.

44. HACCP Principles

45. Conclusion
 Infection represents an occupational hazard unique to
laboratory workers, especially those in the microbiology
laboratory.
 A risk assessment for infection based on the host's
immune system, mechanism of the exposure, infectious
dose of the exposure, virulence of the agent, use of
personal protective equipment.
 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has
recently convened a committee to address these issues
that will provide evidence-based guidelines on exposure
of the risk.