Biosafety cabinet properly used, disinfected and located

A series of recommendations on how to select the appropriate biosafety cabinet for your type of work and how to properly use it is provided in the MSU Biosafety and Security Manual.

The interior surfaces of BSCs should be decontaminated before and after each use.

References:

• NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules. April 2019. Section IV-B-7-d-(1), (2) and Appendix G.
• BMBL 6th ed. HHS Publication No. (CDC) 300859
• MSU Biosafety and Security Manual
• MSU Bloodborne Exposure Control Plan

Corrective actions:

All items within BSCs, including equipment, should be surface-decontaminated and removed from the cabinet when work is completed, since residual culture media may provide an opportunity for microbial growth.

The interior surfaces of BSCs should be decontaminated before and after each use. The work surfaces and interior walls should be wiped with a disinfectant that will kill any microorganisms that might be found inside the cabinet. At the end of the workday, the final surface decontamination should include a wipe-down of the work surface, the sides, back and interior of the glass. 

It is recommended that the cabinet is left running. If not, it should be run for 5 min in order to purge the atmosphere inside before it is switched off.