Conference Abstract | Volume 9, Abstract 078 (ConfProc7) | Published: 13 Aug 2026
Patrick Ababio1,&, Theophilus Odoom1, Daniel Tawiah-Yingah1, Emmanuel Allegye Cudjoe2, Sherry Johnson3
1Accra Veterinary Laboratory, 2Veterinary Services Directorate, 3School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
&Corresponding author: Patrick Ababio, Accra Veterinary Laboratory, Veterinary Services Directorate, Ghana, Email: ginolapaatee@gmail.com
Received: 29 Aug 2025, Accepted: 28 Oct 2025, Published: 13 Aug 2026
Domain: Laboratory Systems Strengthening
Keywords: Biosafety, Biosecurity, compliance
©Patrick Ababio et al. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health (ISSN: 2664-2824). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Cite this article: Patrick Ababio et al. Assessment of biosafety and biosecurity compliance at the Accra Veterinary Laboratory, 2025. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2026;9(ConfProc7):078. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO7-0078
Biosafety and biosecurity are essential in laboratories that handle infectious animal diseases, especially those that can spread to humans. These measures protect laboratory workers, animals, and the wider community from accidental exposure or release of dangerous pathogens. This study assessed the level of compliance with biosafety and biosecurity standards at the Accra Veterinary Laboratory (AVL), a national reference facility responsible for diagnosing and monitoring animal diseases in Ghana.
A cross-sectional study which used the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Laboratory Management Tool for Safety (LMT-S) assessment framework was done. The tool covered administration, operational practices, engineering controls, and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Data were collected through staff interviews, group discussions, direct observation, and document review. All laboratory staff were included, to ensure a comprehensive assessment. The data were analyzed using the FAO scoring system, and results were summarized in percentages and charts.
The findings revealed that the overall biosafety and biosecurity compliance level at AVL was low, with all four areas scoring below 50%. The administrative component scored 35.6% staff health and safety programs (16.7%), and poor enforcement of standard operating procedures. Operational practices (42.1%) showed moderate performance in waste management (66.7%) and sample shipping (66.7%) but were weak in animal facility management (23.8%). Engineering controls (19.8%) scored the lowest because of poor infrastructure, inadequate ventilation, and lack of emergency preparedness. The PPE category (43.6%) performed fairly, though several staff did not consistently use or dispose of protective gear properly.
The study concludes that AVL faces major challenges in maintaining biosafety and biosecurity standards, mainly due to limited resources, inadequate training, and ineffective administrative enforcement. Strengthening leadership commitment, improving infrastructure, conducting regular training, and establishing a national monitoring system are essential.
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