Biohazard Safety

Compliance with research utilizing biological material is monitored by the Institutional Biosafety Committee. For more information on the rules and regulations for compliance, go to Biological Research.

• Keep lab materials in the lab! This includes pens, personal protective equipment, notebooks, electronics, keys, etc.
  • If you need to take something home, do not bring it into the lab.
• Be aware of hazards before entering the laboratory.
• The Safety Data Sheet should be available at all times.
• Table including frequently used microbes and biosafety levels should be available at all times.

• Most basic level
• Use of standard practice
• Minimal to no hazards
• Non-disease causing
• No special practices needed

• Use of moderately hazardous agents
• Be aware of hazards before encountering an infectious agent
• Look for signs and symptoms of possible infections/diseases etc.

Differences compared to BSL 1

• Specific training is required by personnel in handling pathogenic agents, competency testing is also done throughout the laboratory to make sure standards are being met.
• Laboratory access is restricted
• BSCs are used anytime an infectious aerosol or splash is being created or used.
• Special practices are used (see pages 37-43)
• Slight changes in required equipment
  • Containment use
  • Glove selection based on risk assessment
  • BSC use
• Changes in work area/facility:
  • Self-closing door
  • Required sink near exit
  • Windows to the exterior are not permitted (if windows are present, they should be fit with screens)
  • BSC installation
  • Vacuum lines need liquid disinfectant traps
  • Required Decontamination plan

• Close off the area and allow aerosols to settle.
• Notify others including the supervisor.
• Wait 30 minutes to allow the aerosols created to settle.
• Don appropriate PPE: laboratory coat, safety glasses, Nitrile gloves.
• Remove rotors and bucket and place in the sink.
• Thoroughly disinfect the inside of the centrifuge.
• Segregate contaminated cleanup materials into the appropriate biohazardous waste containers

This checklist is a template you can edit and modify as necessary to incorporate your laboratory-specific standard operating procedures (SOPs). Use this checklist as a daily reminder of the activities/tasks needed for safely working in a biological safety cabinet (BSC), as a training tool or for operational protocols.

Download Checklist