Human Resources

Following a mass fatality incident, consultants and volunteers may be called upon to supplement the capabilities of the laboratory. The project manager is responsible for ensuring the coordination of these resources.

It is fair to assume that the DNA response to a mass fatality incident will require a rapid ramp-up of staff to support the collection, accessioning, and information technology processes and beginning sample analyses. Staffing requirements are likely to peak at the time that multiple processes—for example, sample collection, analyses, identification— occur simultaneously. After the bulk of the samples have been profiled, staffing needs should begin to taper off, with the identification analyses and quality control processes assuming the bulk of the requirements for the remainder of the project.

The staffing requirements for the World Trade Center DNA identification effort followed a skewed bell-shaped curve (see exhibit 12, Staffing Requirements Over Time).

A laboratory responding to a mass fatality disaster may not have sufficient staff onboard for the peak times and may have to seek outside resources for part or all of the project. Typically, consultants are hired for a specific purpose or a specialized task. For example, the laboratory may augment its identification capability by hiring a specialist in genetic and kinship analysis to scrutinize complex pedigrees. Or, the laboratory may contract for specialized information technology expertise. Because most crime laboratories are part of the public sector, it usually is easier to hire consultants for short-term engagements. This allows contract amounts to be kept below procurement ceilings and can expedite the procurement process.

Volunteers who assist in the DNA identification after a mass fatality incident can be professional or nonprofessional. Professional volunteers are already trained in some facet of the mass fatality incident response and are able to assume some of laboratory staff’s duties. Examples include Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Teams (DMORT) personnel, medical students who assist in the morgue by accessioning samples and cutting tissue, former employees (e.g., retirees), and volunteers from other laboratories. Nonprofessional volunteers—those without specialized training in sample collection or analysis—may be used to relieve laboratory personnel from some administrative and clerical duties. For example, nonprofessional volunteers might perform data entry or routine paperwork. Before assigning duties to a volunteer, the project manager should understand the scope of the volunteer’s commitment. Because volunteers work free of charge and may leave the laboratory on short notice, the project manager should avoid assigning mission-critical tasks to volunteers.

Confidentiality

Laboratory directors should be aware of liability issues that might arise if consultants or volunteers are used. For example, confidentiality agreements should be signed by consultants and volunteers, stating that no data or information related to the DNA identification effort may be published or conveyed to the media without prior written consent of the laboratory director or a person designated by the laboratory director. The agreement also should state that no personal information should be disclosed regarding the victims, the state of the remains, or any other aspect of the incident that the consultant or volunteer learns as a result of working on the DNA identification effort. A comprehensive confidentiality agreement can help protect the laboratory from premature, unconfirmed reports and the victims’ loved ones from suffering the insensitive divulging of gruesome details.

The project manager also shoulders the burden of being alert to the staff’s mental health. When issues concerning staff health and well-being arise, the project manager must immediately involve the laboratory director, who may request professional advice. One way to help maintain morale is to keep the staff as fully informed as possible. Open communication between management and staff is essential to establishing and maintaining high morale. In the rush to respond to a mass fatality incident, information-sharing with staff can be neglected. But, a fully informed staff that understands upcoming challenges and goals can help management anticipate problems and overcome obstacles.

Laboratory workers are likely to experience a range of emotions throughout the DNA identification response, and, in fact, there can be a longterm emotional impact on those working on a mass fatality response. Laboratory personnel who worked on the WTC response reported experiencing extremely high stress levels. Laboratory directors or project managers must be alert to signs of burnout, depression, and other psychological reactions; they must recognize the need for—and be able to implement—stress release mechanisms. The laboratory director and the project manager should also make employees, consultants, and volunteers aware of available mental-health or other stress-relieving assistance programs.

More on Staff Mental Health

One important difference between a mass fatality response and routine forensic casework is that, over time, laboratory staff may become intimately familiar with the lives of the victims. By the end of the response, laboratory staff is likely to know the name, gender, date of birth, family structure, and next of kin of many of the victims. Staff may learn if relatives are not aware that they were not biologically related to the victim or that some family members are estranged. Because of the nature of a mass fatality—where the suffering of many is shared by the community as a whole— laboratory staff may find themselves empathizing with the victims’ families, sharing their bereavement.

There also will be additional stress on laboratory staff who are not assigned to the mass fatality response. If a laboratory must also continue to meet its casework and offender-processing commitments, some staff will likely need to assume the workload and responsibilities of colleagues who are assigned to the mass fatality response. Over time, this can lead to resentment. Some staff members may be unhappy about not being assigned to the mass fatality incident response; or the priority of the mass fatality incident over traditional casework may make them question their value to the laboratory. A team environment fostered by the laboratory director or project manager will help staff members support each other throughout the DNA identification effort.

The laboratory director and the project manager should continually assess stress levels within the laboratory, bringing in experts, if necessary, to help with the assessment. Because of the demands of the work, it may not be easy to spot behavioral or attitudinal changes in staff members. However, the laboratory director and project manager should watch for stress-related symptoms such as crying, a haggard appearance, a normally calm individual becoming argumentative, or a normally extroverted individual becoming quiet and withdrawn.

In the WTC response, for example, there was an employee assistance program available to laboratory personnel, in addition to the following assistance for all employees, consultants, and volunteers who were working on the recovery effort:

• Sal’s Café: The Salvation Army provided free breakfast, lunch, and dinner to anyone working on the WTC project.
• A national massage therapy association provided massages, including reflexology, through an arrangement with the City of New York.
• Religious ceremonies were regularly conducted, and religious leaders of many faiths were available in the mortuary for families and workers.
• Project Liberty, a group of mental health professionals, provided free counseling.

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