Use and Maintenance of Biological Safety Cabinets 1/2

(1) Preparation Work
Before starting work, ensure the interior surfaces of the biosafety cabinet are free of contamination.
2. Place all necessary items inside the safety cabinet to minimize the number of times both arms enter and exit the front opening. When arranging items, the following points should be noted:
The air intake grilles on the front and rear of the BSL-2 biosafety cabinet must not be obstructed by objects.
② All items should be placed as far back as possible near the edge of the workbench, ensuring they do not obstruct the rear grille during operation.
③ Equipment capable of generating aerosols (e.g., mixers, centrifuges, etc.) should be placed near the rear of the biosafety cabinet. Larger items such as biohazardous waste bags and trays for disposable pipettes should be positioned on one side inside the cabinet.
Clean items should be placed at least 15 cm away from aerosol-generating containers to minimize the risk of cross-contamination.
Experimental samples susceptible to UV damage can be placed before the UV sterilization experiment.
⑥ Do not store excessive items in the work area.
3. Close the front window, turn on the UV lamp of the biosafety cabinet, and perform sterilization treatment on the work surface, side wall surfaces, and inner surfaces of the rear wall.
4. Slightly open the front access window and allow the biosafety cabinet work area to exhaust for a few minutes before starting work.
(2) Operational Precautions
When using a biosafety cabinet, wear individual protective clothing and gloves to prevent contamination. For operations at Biosafety Level 1 and 2, ordinary laboratory coats may be worn. Gloves should be worn over the sleeves of the laboratory coat. In some cases, masks and goggles may also be required.
2. Inside the biosafety cabinet, avoid using open flame sterilizers such as alcohol lamps. Open flames can affect airflow and pose hazards when handling volatile or flammable materials. For sterilizing inoculation loops, an infrared electric heater (see Figure 1) or disposable plastic inoculation loops can be used instead.
3. Insert your hands and arms into the biosafety cabinet and wait for approximately 1 minute to allow the cabinet to adjust and let the air "sweep over" the surface of your hands and arms before you can begin handling the items.
4. During work, minimize arm movements and move slowly to avoid disrupting the airflow inside the cabinet. When moving both arms in and out of the safety cabinet, carefully maintain the integrity of the airflow at the front opening. The arms should enter and exit the front opening perpendicular to the work area opening at a slow pace.
5. Experimental operations on the workbench should be conducted from the clean zone to the contaminated zone, with all operations performed in the middle and rear sections of the workbench.
6. During work, the biohazardous waste bags resistant to high-pressure sterilization and the suction tube storage trays must be placed inside the biosafety cabinet and not removed. Otherwise, frequent arm movements in and out of the cabinet while using these items will compromise the integrity of the cabinet's air barrier, thereby affecting protection for personnel and materials.

7. In case of spills during the experiment, place a disinfectant wipe on the surface to absorb and clean them.

8. Keep the safety cabinet in continuous operation and disinfect all items on the surface to provide maximum personnel protection. When retrieving potentially contaminated items from inside the safety cabinet, ensure surface disinfection is performed.