This document discusses biosafety in laboratories. It defines biosafety as safety precautions that reduce exposure risk to infectious materials. Biosafety is needed because laboratories work with hazardous infectious agents and accidents could threaten workers and the environment. There are four biosafety levels depending on the agent, with level 4 being the most dangerous exotic microbes like Ebola. Biosafety cabinets are important containment equipment that protect workers and prevent microbe release. The document also discusses biological waste disposal, decontamination, and controlling hazardous substances like chemicals under COSHH regulations through risk assessment and proper control measures.

1. Biosafety in different types of laboratories
Presented by
Muslim Idan Mohsin
University of Kufa , Faculty of Science , Dept. of Pathological Analyses
19th Dec. 2022

2. Topics to be discussed :
• • What is biosafety?
• • Why we need ?
• • Levels of biosafety
• • Biosafety cabinet Types
• • Decontamination
• COSHH

3. • What is biosafety?
• Biosafety is the application of
safety precautions that reduce a
laboratories risk of exposure to
a potentially infectious material
and limit contamination of the
work environment and
ultimately the community
{ CDC }

4. Why we need biosafety ?
• 1. Lab has hazards of processing infectious agents
• 2. Accidental threat to workers and environment
• 3. To have adherence with safety regulations while
dealing with highly infectious agents

5. BIOSAFETY LEVELS
• BIOSAFETY LEVEL 1
• Microbes not known consistently to cause
disease in healthy adults and present
minimal poential hazard to lab and
environment
• • Eg : non pathogenic strain of E.coli

6. BIOSAFETY LEVELS
• BIOSAFETY LEVEL 2
• • Microbes that possess moderate hazards
to laboratories
• • Eg: Staphylococcus aureus

7. BIOSAFETY LEVELS
• BIOSAFETY LEVEL 3
• Serious / potentially lethal disease through
respiratory transmission
• • Eg: Mycobacterium tuberculosis

8. BIOSAFETY LEVELS
• BIOSAFETY LEVEL 4
• Highest level of biological safety
Dangerous and exotic microbes
• Eg: Ebola , COVID-19 viruses

9. Biosafety cabinet
• BSCs are primary means of containment, developed
for working safely with infectious micro-organisms
• BSCs are only one overall part of biosafety program,
which requires consistent use of
1. Good microbiological practices
2. Primary containment equipment
3. Primary containment facility design

10. Importance of a biosafety cabinet
Provide protection to the
• Personnel handling infectious materials
• Environment by preventing the release of
microbes
• Product (e.g. in handling cell cultures)

11. Biosafety cabinet Types
• There are several different main types of Biological
Cabinet, specified by purpose and construction.
• There are three main classes of Biological Safety
Cabinet.
• Class 1 Biological Safety Cabinet
• Class 2 Biological Safety Cabinet
• Class 3 Biological Safety Cabinet

19. Biological Waste- Segregation- Offensive
and General Waste
• Do not use the infectious or anatomical
waste streams to dispose uncontaminated
waste
• Dispose of all other uncontaminated waste,
for example paper, cards, packaging from
laboratory equipment, paper towels from
hand washing through the general waste
stream.

20. Biological Waste
• You should not operate
autoclaving equipment if you
are not trained to do so.
• Replace bins when they are either
three quarters full, reach the fill
line
• Securely sealed
• A pre-printed label must be
completed and attached

21. Biological Waste
• Yellow anatomical waste
• Orange infectious/GM
waste
• Purple medicinal waste
• White offensive waste

22. Control of substances hazardous to
health (COSHH)
 Substances & mixtures classified as dangerous
under CHIP – (Chemicals (Hazard Information and
Packaging for Supply) Regulations 2008 )
 Substances with WELs (Workplace exposure
limits)
 Biological agents
 Some dusts, especially in high concentrations
 Other substances of comparable hazard

23. What are NOT hazardous substances under
CoSHH?
 Lead and Asbestos (separate regulations)
 Substances only hazardous due to:
 Radio-activity
 Simple asphyxiates
 High pressure or extremes of temperature
 Biological agents not connected with work
 Eg Swine flu or catching a cold from a colleague
 Labels are a good guide!

24. Step 1 :
Risk Assessment for CoSHH
 Identify the hazardous substance(s) eg
 Chemicals
 Biological materials
 Mixtures
 Proprietary products
 Reaction products and intermediates

25. Step 2:
Decide on Control Measures
 Control exposure in proportion to
risk by using the hierarchy of
controls.
 Personal protective equipment
should be a last resort as the prime
means of control

26. Step 3:
Use of Control Measures (1)
 Replace substance with a safer
alternative
 Eg use a lower hazard disinfectant
rather than bleach (irritant) if it will
do the job adequately

27. Step 3:
Use of Control Measures (2)
 Personal protective equipment
as a last resort:
 Protects only the worker & not
others in the room
 Training & maintenance
required
 Often not very comfortable

28. Step 4:
Maintenance of control measures
 Must be kept in good repair &
working properly
 Regular simple checks on
airflow
 LEV & fume cupboards must
have engineering checks every
14 months
 Records kept for 5 years

29. Step 5:
Workers must have adequate:
 Information
 Instruction
 Training
 Supervision
 This will include the
procedures themselves and
what to do in an emergency