Office of Laboratory Security

Leadership in public health safety and security

Today's fluid public health security environment presents considerable biosafety and biosecurity challenges for the Public Health Agency of Canada.

A significant number of these challenges - including enforcement of human pathogens importation regulations and biocontainment laboratory inspection and certification - are managed by the Agency's Office of Laboratory Security (OLS).

As the national authority on biosafety and biocontainment, the OLS works as both biosafety regulator and service provider, exercising leadership in regulation, surveillance, applied research and evidence-based interventions, while providing biosafety stakeholders with information, advice and practical training to ensure safer biosafety practices and more secure laboratory environments.

The OLS's unique dual-role as regulator and service provider enables it to make a significant contribution to the Agency's ongoing efforts to anticipate and respond to public health challenges and protect the public health safety and security of Canadians.