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ANH Quarantine Lab Procedures
The following procedures are the standard operating procedures for handling, storing and treating quarantine
materials at Archaeology and Natural History, The Australian National University. They do not cover every possible
situation and are not intended as a replacement for AQIS QAP accreditation training. For more information, talk with
the ANH Quarantine Lab Manager or see the ANH procedures page:
http://chl.anu.edu.au/disciplines/archaeology/procedures.php.
1) Receiving and unpacking the consignment
Quarantine materials will normally be received from the shipping company at the main desk of H.C.
Coombs Building. The importer will be notified, and will arrange for the shipment to be moved to QAP
A0075 (Coombs building room 7045). If the material was imported directly by the researcher as
luggage or received via the postal mail, then the importer is responsible for bringing the package to
A0075. In all cases, the package is not to be unpacked until it has been transferred to A0075. All
materials must be initially unpacked in A0075 (rather than one of the co-located quarantine premises) so
that the register procedure described below can be performed. Materials shipped to ANH may arrive
without a Quarantine Order; if there is any reason to suspect that a QO was or should have been issued
by AQIS you must treat the material as quarantined and notify the ANH Quarantine Lab Manager, who
will contact the shipping company and/or AQIS to determine whether a quarantine order is in fact
warranted.
Once the shipment is safely within QAP A0075, it may be unpacked. At the time of unpacking, the
researcher responsible for the import enters the shipment’s details into his or her Quarantine Materials
Register (QMR). The QMR is an Excel spreadsheet that follows a format originally supplied by AQIS.
To access your QMR, use the computer in room 7045 and perform the first four steps in item 2 below,
then create a new entry in the “Materials Register” sheet. The researcher should decide at this time how
the shipment will be packaged during storage; each box stored within the QAP must have a separate
entry within the QMR (and a sticker as described below). Each entry within the QMR will have the
following information:
Quarantine Entry Number
An identifier appearing on formal documentation issued by AQIS
during import of the material. This Quarantine Order advises the
importer of the conditions for each individual shipment of material.
Occasionally shipments are received without a Order into
Quarantine. In this instance, contact the ANH Quarantine Lab
Manager so that an appropriate Quarantine Order can be obtained
and in the interim use the airbill number to identify the shipment.
Internal Number
This is an internal ANH identifier used to track each package within
the shipment. The standard is to use the shipper’s initials, a dash,
the month of import, the year of import, a dash, and a package
number or identifier. For example: JF-0509-1
Site Name
Name of the site or location where the material originated.
Date of Arrival
Date the shipment entered Australia
Country of Origin
The country where the material originated. Always use the original
country where the material was obtained, even if the material passed
through another country prior to entering Australia.
Import Permit
The current ANH import permit number at the date of shipment.
The purpose of a quarantine import permit is to satisfy
legislative requirements where prior written permission from the
Director of Quarantine (or Delegate) to import certain articles
exists. An import permit outlines certification and/or documentation
required to ensure goods meet AQIS import conditions.
It may also include inspection/treatment procedures required for
certain goods or items before they can be released, and may cover
disposal methods. It is imperative that a record of the import permit
number is held for every consignment.
Stored In
The package’s long-term storage location within the QAP
Name of Importer
Name of the importer
Contents
A brief description of the material
Weight
An estimate of the weight of the material, including box or other
packaging as necessary.
Percent of Original Item
Remaining
Signed
Normally will be 100% when first received. See Item 2 below.
The name of the person entering information into the QMR
Attach to each package a white “in vitro use only” label and a yellow-background quarantine material
sticker with the following information:
Name of Importer
Quarantine Entry Number
Internal Number
Import Permit Number
Import Date
Country of Origin
Note: Materials received before April 2008 will not have an Internal Number included on the sticker.
Materials received before the implementation of AQIS stickers at ANH (circa 2007) may not have a
sticker. All newly entered quarantine material is required to have a fully filled out current sticker.
Please give the ANH Quarantine Lab Manager a copy of every Quarantine Order or Transfer Order
received; AQIS may ask to see these during audits. Contact the ANH Quarantine Lab Manager if you
have any questions or need help entering materials into the QAM.
2) Recording of quarantine material use
AQIS requires that we maintain records of the amount of material remaining from each quarantine
shipment. To do this, each time you remove a sample for destructive analysis, enter the percentage of the
original sample you use into the appropriate record in the appropriate Quarantine Material Register.
Likewise, update the QMR record when quarantine material is heat treated, treated by gamma
irradiation, re-exported or discarded via the quarantine waste bin. The specific steps to update the QMR
are:
1. Login to your computer or the computer in room 7045.
2. Bring up a file list (e.g., select My Computer) and navigate to the P: projects drive.
3. Go into the AnhQuarantineRecords folder.
4. Go into the folder owned by the importer of the material and double-click the Excel spreadsheet
that provides the appropriate QMR.
5. On the “Materials Register” sheet in the Excel spreadsheet, find the row corresponding to the
internal number for the material, and update the column titled “Percent of Original Item
Remaining” with the rough percentage of material from the original shipment remaining after
your destructive analysis.
6. On the “Material Tracking” sheet, create a new record by entering the requested information in
each column. This includes the quarantine entry number, internal number, the process (usually
Destructive Analysis), the percent of the original shipment to be processed and the percent
remaining, the date and your name.
7. Save the changes and close the spreadsheet.
Note: Materials received before tracking began on 29 June 2011 may have “unknown” in the “Percent of
Original Item Remaining” column. When you work on these materials please change it to an estimate of
the remaining percentage.
3) Transfer of quarantine goods to the quarantine area of use or storage
Once a consignment has been registered and the sticker(s) applied, it may be used or stored within
A0075 or either of the co-located ANH premises (rooms 6201 and 6206).
Whenever moving quarantine materials between quarantine premises, be sure the material is doublebagged or bagged and boxed, and otherwise does not present a risk during movement. If quarantine
material spills while being moved outside of quarantine areas, clean up the spill and repackage the
material. Dry material may be swept up, while wet material may be cleaned using paper towels and an
approved disinfectant (bleach is available in the quarantine labs). Always treat swept up material, paper
towels and other cleaning debris as quarantine waste, and discard in the appropriate waste containers
available in our quarantine labs. Also notify the ANH Quarantine Lab Manager so that he or she can
evaluate the situation and notify AQIS if it is a major spill or loss of quarantine material.
If you need to transfer goods permanently or temporarily from the ANH quarantine premises to premises
at another organization (e.g., CSIRO), contact the ANH Quarantine Lab Manager. A request to transfer
will need to be submitted to and approved by AQIS.
4) Storage of goods subject to quarantine
Goods subject to quarantine may only be stored in designated areas when not in use. Each designated
area is clearly indicated with a “Quarantine Storage” sign.
If you find a sample which you suspect is quarantined but which does not have a filled-out Quarantine
material sticker next to it (see item 5 below), please put it in an appropriate Quarantine Storage area and
notify the ANH Quarantine Lab Manager.
5) Isolation and Identification of Materials in Lab Spaces
ANH quarantine-approved labs may be used for analysis of both quarantine and non-quarantine
materials. It is very important that non-quarantine materials not be mixed with quarantine materials.
Each lab area may only used for either quarantine or non-quarantine materials at any particular time.
After quarantine material use, the lab area and any associated equipment must be cleaned using bleach or
one of the other approved cleansers before it may be used with non-quarantine materials.
When quarantine materials are in use within a lab and are not stored in their long-term containers (e.g,
during sorting or chemical processing), the associated quarantine information must be readily visible to
anyone in the area. This is accomplished by filling out one (or more) of the yellow-background
Quarantine material stickers and placing it with the material. Auditors and researchers can then use this
information to link the material to its entry in a Quarantine Material Register (see item 1 above). While
not a quarantine issue, we also ask that each researcher place their name, a site or other identifying
information, and the name or formula of the harshest chemical in use on a 3x5 card with the samples.
Non-Quarantine materials only require the 3x5 card; include “Non-Quarantine” on the card.
The ANH Permit to Import Quarantine Material allows treatments that may be performed to formally
“treat” quarantined soil samples (materials imported under conditions PC2039 and PC0600). Contact
the ANH Quarantine Lab Manager for detailed discussion of treatment options allowed under the ANH
permit. After this treatment is applied, the materials may be released from quarantine and your QAM
records updated.
6) Inspection procedures
AQIS conducts biannual audits additional to those conducted internally by the ANH Quarantine Lab
Manager. The purpose of these audits is to ensure that procedures are adequate and being appropriately
followed and that the building’s containment design features are maintained to a suitable standard.
7) Hygiene
The ANH quarantine premises are monitored for pest activity, including monthly inspections by the
ANH Quarantine Lab Manager or their designated person. If pest activity is noted then an approved
University contractor will be brought in to fumigate the premises or otherwise dispose of the pests.
Please contact the ANH Quarantine Lab Manager if you see pests or notice evidence of their presence
(e.g., mouse droppings). The ANH Quarantine Lab Manager will notify facility maintenance personnel
and the Canberra AQIS office if a pest infestation occurs. Cans of knock-down aerosol insecticide spray
are available to deal with minor insect problems.
If you have been handling quarantine materials, please wash your hands thoroughly prior to leaving the
quarantine area so that you do not inadvertently expose quarantine materials to the environment.
8) Security
All ANH quarantine premises have doors with locks. Only QAP Accredited personnel and those under
their direct supervision have been given badge or key access to the premises. Do not allow entry of
unsupervised personnel into the quarantine premises.
Cleaning crews are not given quarantine door badge or key access, and do not routinely clean within
quarantine lab areas. If a lab is in need of cleaning or maintenance, contact the ANH Quarantine Lab
Manager so that the work can be appropriately scheduled and supervised.
9) Contingency Plans
In the event of an emergency or a building alarm, leave the quarantine premises immediately and meet in
the designated assembly area. Do not bring any quarantine materials with you.
10) Waste Disposal
Quarantine waste must be disposed of in accordance with AQIS-approved quarantine waste methods.
Each quarantine lab has a clearly labeled quarantine waste bin; place all quarantine waste in these bins.
This includes cardboard and plastic packaging that once held quarantine materials, disposable lab
beakers, and paper. If you discard quarantine samples, be sure to update the appropriate sheet in your
QAM. If a lab’s quarantine waste bin is full, contact the ANH Quarantine Lab Manager. The waste will
be double-bagged and moved to the central waste area (the lockable bin near the compactus) and
eventually disposed of securely using AQIS-approved disposal provider SteriHealth.
ANH Quarantine Lab Manager:
Dr Jack Fenner
Room 6110, HC Coombs
6125-2121