HOW TO USE BIOSAFETY CABINET IN LAB

1. HOW TO USE BIOSAFETY CABINET IN LAB Biological safety cabinets or BCS are used to provide both the clean work environment and protection for employees who can create aerosols when working with biological hazards. The biosafety cabinet and the fume hood’s working procedures are totally different and that is why it is not possible to use a biosafety cabinet as a fume hood. Most of the foreign countries use these materials in their best way. The class 2 type a biological safety cabinet is the most common safety cabinet of all the different types available. It has the common plenum from which 30% of air is exhausted and the 70% recalculated to the work area as the down flow. A key distinction is that biosafety cabinets have an internal blower motor which recalculates potentially contaminated air through HEPA filters. Biological safety cabinets or BCS are used to provide both the clean work environment and protection for employees who can create aerosols when working with biological hazards. A Microbiological Safety Cabinet is also known as biological safety cabinet which has some special appeal of its own and this has some own features and characteristics. Several different types of BSC are available and these are differentiating by the degree of biocontainment requirement. The primary purpose of a BSC is to serve as means to protect the laboratory worker and the surrounding environment from pathogens. Most biological safety cabinets are not classified under this standard because they are not typically used for large quantities of volatile chemicals. There are some different procedures for using this biosafety cabinet in lab which have some special appeal of its own and very few features are there depending on which these are used. Try to install BSC s to allow access to their supply and exhaust filters for annual certification testing and HEPA filter changes. The top of the cabinet must be at least 18’ below the ceiling to field test exhaust flow according to NSF standard 49. Biosafety cabinet should be located out of the laboratory personnel traffic pattern. They can also place or located at the end of an aisle. To avoid disturbing the airflow that protects the worker, locate BSCs so lab personnel existing and entering the lab do not pass in front of them. To protect, do not install the biological safety cabinet directly opposite to the workstations. Clear zones around the cabinet should be included a minimum of 80” from opposing walls, 60” from opposing bench areas or occasional traffic areas and 40” between the BSC and bench tops along a perpendicular wall. BSC along the perpendicular walls shall be placed 48” apart.Work zone minimum dimensions include 40” in the front of the cabinet and 12” on each side which will be finest for locating this biosafety cabinet.

2. Try to install BSC s to allow access to their supply and exhaust filters for annual certification testing and HEPA filter changes. The top of the cabinet must be at least 18’ below the ceiling to field test exhaust flow according to NSF standard 49.