2. CONTENTS:
1. INTRODUCTION TO BIOSAFETY
2. BIOSAFETY LEVELS
3. BIOSAFETY REGULATIONS AND GUIDELINES
4. BIOSAFETY PRACTICES IN THE LABORATORY
5. BIOSAFETY TRAINING AND EDUCATION
6. CONCLUSION
3. • BIOSAFETY REFERS TO THE MEASURES AND PRACTICES PUT IN PLACE TO
ENSURE THE SAFE HANDLING, CONTAINMENT, AND DISPOSAL OF BIOLOGICAL
MATERIALS THAT POSE A RISK TO HUMAN, ANIMAL, OR ENVIRONMENTAL
HEALTH.
• IT INVOLVES A RANGE OF PROCEDURES AND PROTOCOLS DESIGNED TO
PREVENT THE ACCIDENTAL RELEASE OF HARMFUL BIOLOGICAL AGENTS, AS
WELL AS TO PROTECT LABORATORY WORKERS AND THE PUBLIC FROM
EXPOSURE TO THESE AGENTS.
INTRODUCTION TO BIOSAFETY
4. • BIOSAFETY LEVELS (BSL) ARE A SET OF GUIDELINES AND
PROCEDURES USED TO SAFELY HANDLE POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS
BIOLOGICAL AGENTS IN A LABORATORY OR OTHER SETTING.
THERE ARE FOUR LEVELS OF BIOSAFETY, EACH CORRESPONDING
TO INCREASING LEVELS OF RISK AND COMPLEXITY:
1. BSL-1: BASIC SAFETY PRECAUTIONS SUCH AS HAND WASHING
AND WEARING LAB COATS ARE TYPICALLY SUFFICIENT FOR BSL-1
LABORATORIES.
BIOSAFETY LEVELS
5. • BSL-2: THIS LEVEL OF BIOSAFETY IS USED FOR AGENTS THAT POSE A
MODERATE RISK TO HUMANS AND THE ENVIRONMENT. BSL-2
LABORATORIES MAY REQUIRE THE USE OF PERSONAL PROTECTIVE
EQUIPMENT SUCH AS GLOVES AND EYE PROTECTION, AND MAY ALSO
REQUIRE ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT SUCH AS BIOSAFETY CABINETS OR
FUME HOODS.
• BSL-3: THIS LEVEL OF BIOSAFETY IS USED FOR AGENTS THAT CAN CAUSE
SERIOUS OR POTENTIALLY LETHAL DISEASE THROUGH INHALATION.
REQUIRES ADDITIONAL MEASURES SUCH AS CONTROLLED ACCESS TO THE
LABORATORY AND DECONTAMINATION PROCEDURES FOR ALL MATERIALS
LEAVING THE LABORATORY.
6. • BSL-4: THIS LEVEL OF BIOSAFETY IS USED FOR AGENTS THAT POSE A
HIGH RISK OF AEROSOL TRANSMISSION AND CAN CAUSE LIFE-
THREATENING DISEASE. BSL-4 LABORATORIES ARE THE HIGHEST
LEVEL OF BIOSAFETY AND REQUIRE THE USE OF SPECIALIZED
EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES.
7. HERE ARE SOME OF THE BASIC BIOSAFETY RULES AND GUIDELINES:
PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE): ALL PERSONNEL MUST WEAR
APPROPRIATE PPE, SUCH AS GLOVES, LAB COATS, AND GOGGLES, WHEN
HANDLING BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS.
RISK ASSESSMENT: A THOROUGH RISK ASSESSMENT MUST BE CONDUCTED FOR
ALL WORK INVOLVING BIOLOGICAL AGENTS TO DETERMINE THE APPROPRIATE
LEVEL OF CONTAINMENT AND PPE REQUIRED.
CONTAINMENT: BIOLOGICAL AGENTS MUST BE CONTAINED IN APPROPRIATE
FACILITIES, SUCH AS BIOSAFETY CABINETS, LAMINAR FLOW HOODS, OR
SPECIALIZED CONTAINMENT AREAS.
8. • WASTE DISPOSAL: BIOLOGICAL WASTE MUST BE PROPERLY DISPOSED OF IN
ACCORDANCE WITH LOCAL, STATE, AND FEDERAL REGULATIONS.
•
• TRAINING: ALL PERSONNEL MUST RECEIVE APPROPRIATE TRAINING ON THE
PROPER HANDLING AND DISPOSAL OF BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS.
•
• EMERGENCY PROCEDURES: PROCEDURES MUST BE IN PLACE TO RESPOND TO
ACCIDENTAL SPILLS OR OTHER EMERGENCIES INVOLVING BIOLOGICAL AGENTS.
9. BIOSAFTEY TRAINING AND EDUCATION
• BIO SAFETY EDUCATION IS AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT OF BIOSAFETY
PROGRAMS. THE RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH THEIR WORK AND ARE EQUIPPED TO
IMPLEMENT APPROPRIATE SAFETY MEASURES.
1. GENERAL BIO SAFETY PRINCIPLES: TRAINING SHOULD COVER THE BASIC
PRINCIPLES OF BIOSAFETY, INCLUDING RISK ASSESSMENT
2. SPECIFIC HAZARDS: EDUCATION SHOULD ADDRESS THE SPECIFIC BIOLOGICAL
HAZARDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE WORK
10. • REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS: PERSONNEL SHOULD BE
TRAINED ON THE REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS FOR HANDLING
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
• HANDS-ON TRAINING: PERSONNEL SHOULD RECEIVE HANDS-
ON TRAINING IN THE PROPER USE OF EQUIPMENT AND SAFETY
PROCEDURES
• DOCUMENTATION: ALL EDUCATION AND TRAINING SHOULD BE
DOCUMENTED, INCLUDING ATTENDANCE RECORDS, TRAINING
MATERIALS, AND ASSESSMENTS OF PERSONNEL COMPETENCY.
11. BIOSAFETY CABINET
• BIOSAFETY CABINETS ARE SPECIALIZED LABORATORY EQUIPMENT DESIGNED
TO PROVIDE AN ENCLOSED, VENTILATED WORKSPACE FOR CONDUCTING
EXPERIMENTS WITH POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS MATERIALS.
• DECONTAMINATION IS AN ESSENTIAL STEP IN WORKING WITH POTENTIALLY
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS. IT INVOLVES THE REMOVAL OR DESTRUCTION OF
CONTAMINANTS FROM SURFACES, EQUIPMENT, OR MATERIALS TO PREVENT
CONTAMINATION OF THE LABORATORY ENVIRONMENT OR PERSONNEL.
12. Methods of decontamination
for biosafety cabinets include:
• Chemical disinfection
• UV-C irradiation
• Autoclaving
• Vaporized hydrogen peroxide
13. Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety
Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is a legally binding global
protocol that seeks to contribute to ensuring the safe
transfer, handling and use of living modified organisms
(LMOs) created through modern biotechnology.