Our commitment to quality and the environment

At the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP) we have attained certification in both, Quality Management Systems (ISO 9001) and Environmental Management Systems (ISO 14001). 

We are committed to developing an Integrated Management System (IMS) that addresses the requirements of both of these standards.

Copied below is the ACDP Integrated Management System (IMS) Policy.

It is also available to download ACDP Integrated Management System Policy PDF (87 KB).

ACDP Integrated Management System (IMS) Policy

(Quality & Environmental Management)

The Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP) is a high-containment facility designed to allow scientific research into the most dangerous infectious agents in the world.

Our responsibilities to our interested parties can be summarised into four main areas being Diagnosis, Surveillance and Response as well as Policy Advice, Research and Training. ACDP’s system of quality and environmental management is regularly communicated and verified to provide the highest level of assurance fundamental to delivering trusted science that protects Australia’s animals, people and unique environment.

We strive to align our science delivery with organisational values, stakeholder expectations and environmental impacts through:

• Actively pursuing continual improvement in everything we do.
• Protecting our staff, community and the environment through responsible work practices and the maintenance of infrastructure, plant, and equipment.
• The development of frameworks which foster the creation and monitoring of relevant quality and environmental objectives and targets.
• Knowing our customers and delivering to their needs and expectations.
• Building mutually beneficial partnerships, working collaboratively and harmoniously.
• Delivery to national and international obligations and compliance requirements, including legislation at Federal, State and Local level as well as corporate and industry agreements.
• Empowering our people to consistently achieve excellence.
• Establishing and maintaining robust systems and processes that deliver reputable and repeatable science.
• Delivering science to accredited systems and frameworks ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 17025, and ISO 17043.
• The environment is protected as far as practicable from site operations, including the prevention of pollutants, resource recovery, sustainable practices and conservation as well as containment of bio-risk.

Quality and Environmental Management is a shared responsibility, accepted by the ACDP community, reinforced by management’s commitment to the integrity of the Integrated Management System and the achievement of all applicable requirements through the creation of a culture in which teams thrive.

Signed: Professor Trevor Drew, ACDP Director

Date: 13 September 2022

1. SCOPE OF THE INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

The formal scope of the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness’ (ACDP) Integrated Management System (IMS) includes the implementation and maintenance of systems, infrastructure, and processes to support compliance with various standards and regulatory requirements, across the Facility located at 5 Portarlington Rd, East Geelong, VIC 3219.

2. SCOPE

ACDP strives to nurture a site-wide culture by applying the basic principles of quality and environmental management across all scientific and support services where possible, regardless of accreditation status.

The Integrated Management System has been established to provide a framework for quality and environmental management at ACDP. It assures the delivery of trusted science that protects Australia’s unique animals, people and the environment in line with our organisational values, stakeholder expectations and regulatory requirements.

Specifically, the scope of the functional areas covered under ACDP Integrated Management System includes:

Diagnostic, Surveillance and Response (DSR)

• Diagnostic testing services for quarantine, surveillance, emergency animal disease exclusion and outbreak response
• Exclusion and confirmation testing
• Production of controls and standards
• Innocuity Testing
• Proficiency Testing

Biorisk Management Group (inclusive of Containment Services Group)

• Biocontainment services
• In-house testing and calibration of mechanical assets

CSIRO Business & Infrastructure Services (inclusive of Electronics and Scientific Instrumentation)

• Testing of controlled enclosures
• In-house calibration of temperature measuring equipment and weighing devices

• Plant and equipment management

Additionally, all operational and administrative activities performed at the ACDP site are covered under the scope of ISO 14001 certification.

The Scope document is also available for download: ACDP's Scope of the Integrated Management System PDF (104 KB).