Policy on Biological Safety Cabinets

Policy Statement & Background:

Biological Safety Cabinets (BSC) are enclosed, ventilated laboratory workstations that are the most common and primary containment devices used to safely work with biological infectious agents or materials that require a defined biosafety level (BSL). The primary purpose of a BSC is to protect the laboratory worker and surrounding environment from pathogens. Many (but not all) types of BSCs are also designed to maintain sterility of the materials being worked with.

Scope

This policy applies to any principal investigator, researcher, owner or assigned individual who uses or has responsibility in the use of a BSC.

Policy:

BSCs must be used when performing operations and manipulations with biological agents or materials that could produce potentially infectious aerosols and require BSL-2 containment. All operations and manipulations involving infectious biological agents or materials requiring BSL-3 containment must take place within a BSC. 

BSCs shall be certified according to NSF/ANSI standard 49: 1. After initial installation. 2. After moving or being relocated. 3. At least annually when BSL-2 or BSL-3 containment is required. 

The Principal Investigator (PI), Laboratory Supervisor, or Department are responsible for ensuring that BSCs that belong to them are certified by qualified technicians when required.

BSCs required for the use of working with biological agents or materials that could produce potentially infectious aerosols or create splash hazards that require BSL-2 or BSL-3 containment shall be labeled as inactive or out of service if they do not meet certification requirements.

All users of BSCs shall follow the procedures for the operation and decontamination of cabinets as described in Appendix A of the current edition of the Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL) guidelines.

All BSCs used for BSL-2 or BSL-3 containment must be gas or VHP (vaporized hydrogen peroxide) decontaminated before being transferred to a new location, decommissioned, or salvaged by qualified and certified technicians accredited under NSF/ANSI standard 49. Documentation of decontamination must be provided to EH&S for approval prior to disposal or surplus of equipment.

EH&S BSC Identification Cards are to be affixed to each cabinet near the certification sticker to identify the PI, Department, or individuals responsible for maintenance and certification of the equipment. 

Definitions:

BSC: Biological Safety Cabinets are the primary containment workstation that provide personnel, products, and environmental protection when working with biological materials that could potentially be infectious or harmful.

BSL: Biosafety Levels are a system of biocontainment precautions used in laboratories to isolate and manage dangerous biological agents. Levels range from BSL-1 (lowest risk) to BSL-4 (highest risk).

Certification: On-site testing that meets the field test criteria using the most recent edition of the NSF/ANSI Standard 49, Class II (Laminar Flow) Biohazard Cabinetry, Appendix F. Certification ensures functional operation and integrity of the BSC and shall only be performed by NSF-certified technicians.

NSF/ANSI standard 49: Standard developed by National Science Foundation (NSF) and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) that outlines the minimum requirements for BSC design, construction, and performance.

Contact:

Additional information about this policy is available here:

Environmental Health and Safety 

110 Suffolk Hall 

Stony Brook, NY 11794 

(631) 632-6410 

https://www.stonybrook.edu/ehs/

Relevant Standards, Codes, Rules, Regulations, Statutes and Policies:

• NSF/ANSI Standard 49
• Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (6^th) (Appendix A)