Dangerous incidents at UK laboratories ‘potentially exposed staff to Covid’

According to official reports obtained by the Guardian, staff at UK laboratories, hospitals and Covid test centers could have been exposed to coronaviruses and other dangers during the Pandemic.

There were many leaks and spills of virus-laden fluids, as well as investigations into a flood at an animal facility housing Covid-infected monkeys, mix ups that led scientists to work on live virus, and a researcher being bitten by an ferret.

Over the course of the Pandemic, the Health and Safety Executive recorded at least 47 "dangerous occurrences" of coronaviruses at UK research facilities, hospitals and Lighthouse labs. The reports were made public under the Freedom of Information Act. The rest were held back due to investigations.

As Covid swept through Britain, scientists, healthcare workers and staff at Lighthouse labs came under tremendous pressure. The researchers were racing to understand the deadly new virus. The rapid deployment of staff and specialists to the test centers pushed them to breaking point.

Some of the most common accidents were leaks, spills, and splatters of fluids, some at the hands of humans, others at the arms of robot. The Lighthouse laboratories had a recurring issue with home test kits that didn't snap properly and people had to force them into sample tubes. The "spring coil" created by this was used to turn the swabs into "projectiles" when they were uncapped.

In some instances, scientists worked on live virus without proper safety precautions because they thought the virus had been killed, while in other instances, Covid positive test samples were not transported with proper precautions. There is no evidence that lab staff caught the Covid virus in work-related gaffes, according to the reports. Staff wore appropriate PPE.

The National Institute of Biological Standards and Control was investigated after a flood at an animal facility. The same lab was found to have violated multiple safety regulations when researchers found water droplets on the bench and floor. The lab fell short on planning, control and monitoring of Covid work, failed to provide sufficient information and training to allow safe handling of the virus, and didn't hold appropriate safety drills.

The laboratory was ordered to improve safety after a researcher was bitten by a ferret. Managers sent the researcher home to care for the wound and self-isolate after it was found that the animal sliced through the scientist's protective clothing and drew blood.

Managers were asked to beef up safety in several facilities after the Health and Safety Executive served a "Crown improvement notice" on the lab. The case was not closed for a year due to the staff being over- stretched.

Allen Roberts is a deputy director at Porton Down for the UK Health Security Agency. The robust systems and processes in place to ensure we continue to work safely and securely have been strengthened as a result of the actions taken by the HSE.

The high level of control in the sector is reflected in the good health and safety record of the Health and Safety Executive. There are very few cases of mislabelling. They said that there are strict requirements to report incidents.

The equipment used in biocontainment laboratories, as well as numerous safety protocols, are designed to protect against the worst effects of any incidents, according to a former HSE inspector. People working in the labs are at risk from handling samples. He said that research labs are more dangerous than process labs.

It's important that people understand what went wrong so that they can modify the processes and prevent the situation from happening again. The purpose of the health and safety community's investigation is this. If organizations didn't report, we wouldn't know how systems fail and the labs wouldn't be as safe.

All near-misses or accidents were thoroughly investigated through internal incident investigation procedures to understand why they happened.

All emergency scenarios have been reviewed and our training has been updated so staff can respond to emergencies. The incidents posed no significant risk of harm to staff, according to the spokesman. The operating procedures for the lab have been changed to address the violation of regulations.