Biosafety Cabinets (BSCs) are primary barrier protection for individuals working with biologic materials. Biosafety cabinets (BSCs) must be annually performance tested or certified in accordance with NSF-49 or manufacturer specifications (for BSCs).
- BSCs must be certified annually.
- New BSCs must be certified before initial use.
- BSCs must be certified after; internal repairs, relocation, replacement of HEPA filters, and following a large spill or accident inside the BSC.
- BSCs that have not been certified annually will be posed with a yellow warning sign: "Do Not Use This Cabinet With Biohazardous Agents"
- BSCs must not be moved unless the Office of Environmental Health & Safety has approved the new location and cleared the cabinet for moving.
- Annual biosafety cabinet certification is required according to:
- The CDC/NIH Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories 4th Edition, May 1999.
- The NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules, January 2001.
- The NSF International Class II (Laminar Flow) Biohazard Cabinetry Standard 49, 1992 or latest edition.
- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Controlling occupational exposure to hazardous drugs, 1995.
- The American Society of Hospital Pharmacists. Technical Bulletin on handling cytoxic drugs in hospitals, 1990.
Suggested Source for Certification and Repair Service
B&V Testing Inc. is the only vendor that has a contract with the University of Maryland (contract # 79801-L) to provide certification and testing of biosafety cabinets and full repair services by NSF-accredited technicians.
B&V Testing, Inc.
Nick Flynn
3 Vale Rd., Suite 100
Bel Air, MD 21014 800.851.9081Cost is $75 for IIA or IIA/B3 BSC's
Cost is $60 for CAB'sNote: Clean Air Benches are not biological safety cabinets. These benches should never be used when handling cell culture materials or drug formulations, or when manipulating potentially infectious materials. These devices only provide product protection. The worker can be exposed to materials being manipulated on the clean bench. They should not be used in research, biomedical or veterinary laboratories.
Your help in improving safety at the University is appreciated!
Safety Alert # 01-04