The biological safety cabinet (BSC) is designed to provide protection to personnel and the environment when appropriate practices and procedures are followed. It is the primary means of containment developed for working safely with infectious microorganisms, so proper setup and operation is essential.

The biosafety cabinet requires regular maintenance and certification by a professional technician to assure that it protects you, your experiments, and the environment. Each cabinet should be certified when it is installed, each time it is moved or repaired, and at least annually. Annual HEPA filter testing and certification of biological safety cabinets (BSC) is a requirement under the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules (Appendix G-II-C-4-j). The Department of Environmental Safety administers a program for annual certification of all biological safety cabinets at the university. Individual departments are responsible for costs of certification (effective July 1, 2009), repairs or replacement of HEPA filters. Contact Hallie Heaney at (301) 405-6513 to confirm that your cabinet is included in this program, to schedule repairs or annual recertification, or for other questions.

An open flame in a BSC creates turbulence which disrupts the pattern of HEPA-filtered air supplied to the work surface. Use of open flames and gas burners in BSCs is strongly discouraged. When deemed absolutely necessary, touch-plate microburners equipped with a pilot light to provide a flame on demand may be used. Internal cabinet air disturbance and heat buildup will be minimized. The burner must be turned off when work is completed. Small electric "furnaces" are available for decontaminating bacteriological loops and needles and are preferable to an open flame inside the BSC. Disposable sterile loops can also be used.

• UM Biosafety Manual: Biosafety Cabinets
• NIH/CDC Primary Containment for Biohazards: Selection, Installation and Use of BSCs
• Working Safely In Your Biological Safety Cabinet (Video)