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> Biosafety Manual >
 Safety Equipment
As aerosols are important sources of infection, care should be taken to reduce the extent of their formation and dispersion. Hazardous aerosols can be generated by many laboratory operations, e.g. blending, mixing, grinding, shaking, stirring, sonicating, and centrifuging of infectious materials. Even when safe equipment is used, it is best to carry out these operations in an approved biological safety cabinet whenever possible. The use of safety equipment is no assurance of protection unless the user is trained and uses proper techniques. Equipment should be tested regularly to ensure its continued safe performance. Table 2 provides a list of safety equipment designed to eliminate or reduce certain hazards and briefly outlines the safety features. Further details of much of this equipment are given in subsequent pages.
Table 2: Safety Equipment
Equipment |
Hazard Corrected |
Safety Features |
Biological Safety Cabinet |
--Class I |
Aerosol and spatter |
Minimum inward airflow (face velocity) at work access opening. Adequate filtration of exhaust air.
Does not provide product protection |
--Class II |
Aerosol and spatter |
Minimum inward airflow (face velocity) at work access opening. Adequate filtration of exhaust air.
Provides product protection |
--Class III |
Aerosol and spatter |
Maximum containment.
Provides product protection if laminar flow air is included. |
Pipetting aids |
Hazards from pipetting by mouth, e.g. ingestion of pathogens, inhalation of aerosols produced by mouth suction on the pipette, blowing out of liquid or dripping from pipet, contamination of suction end of pipette |
Ease of use
Controls contamination of suction end of pipette, protecting pipetting aid, user, and vacuum line
Can be sterilized
Controls leakage from pipette tip |
Loop microincinerators, disposable loops |
Spatter from transfer loops |
Shielded in open-ended glass or ceramic tube. Heated by gas or electricity.
Disposable, no heating necessary |
Leakproof vessels for collection and transport of infectious materials |
Aerosols, spillage, and leakage |
Leakproof construction with lid of cover
Durable
Autoclavable |
Sharps disposal containers |
Puncture wounds |
Robust, puncture-proof
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Transport containers between laboratories, buildings |
Release of microorganisms |
Robust
Watertight primary and secondary containers to contain spills
Absorbent materials to contain spills |
Autoclaves, manual or automatic |
Infectious material (made safe for disposal or reuse) |
Approved design
Effective heat sterilization |
Screw-capped bottles |
Aerosols and spillage |
Effective containment |
Vacuum line protection |
Contamination of laboratory vacuum system with aerosols and overflow fluids |
Cartridge-type filter prevents passage of aerosols (particle size 0.45 µm)
Overflow flask contains appropriate disinfectant. Rubber bulb may be used to close off vacuum automatically when storage flask is full.
Entire unit is autoclavable. |
 Biosafety Cabinets
Biosafety
Manual Table of Contents
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