Reopening Public Facilities After a Biological Attack A Decision Making Framework (2005) / Chapter Skim
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Appendix D: Other Relevant Case Studies
Appendix D: Other Relevant Case Studies
Pages 193-198
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From page 193... ...
BINGHAMTON STATE OIFIFICE BUILDING In February 1981 a switch gear failed m the mechanical room of am 18-story office building in Binghamton, New York, creating am electrical arc that lasted for 20 to 30 nunutes. Because the building was occupied mostly by state agencies, state officials called it the BSOB (Binghamton State Office Building)
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From page 194... ...
The two local papers soon ran stones of cleanup workers wearing protective suuts into nearby uncontaminated buildings to change clothes or use the restroom. The cleanup was poorly supervised; some cleanup workers stole contaminated cash and lottery tickets, and some consumed food and smoked cigarettes in the BSOB.
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From page 195... ...
Because of their partnership in the facility's work, the safety staff were placed at a greater risk to multiple agent exposures than were other employees on the post, thereby eliminating the concern about risk exposure and management trust because of their firsthand understanding of the hazards. A philosophy and an approved operating policy existed that no reposal, punishment, or fault finding was to be promulgated following an accident, judgment error, or equipment or facility damage.
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From page 196... ...
A biological safety research program was operated to assess all operational aspects, including equipment and facilities development, and to investigate each laboratory or production procedure. The program evolved into the scientific discipline now called "biological safety." It identified procedures to ensure safety m every component of work with pathogenic agents, including work with pathogens and their toxins, genetic manipulations, and production of agents and vaccines.
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From page 197... ...
At first, officials thought the problem was a common monkey virus, but samples sent to the U.S. Army Medical Research institute of Infectious Diseases soon revealed the animals were dying of Ebola virus.
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From page 198... ...
If New York officials had instituted something similar to this report's recommendations regarding an analytic deliberative process, many of the problems experienced in Binghamton could have been avoided. Because the Binghamton State Office Building housed state agencies, closing it had few economic consequences; it could remain closed for so long without severe disruption.
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