Policy on Maintenance and Certification of Biological Safety Cabinets (BSCs)

On this page: Purpose, Covered Parties, Definitions, Policy, Responsibilities, Related Policies and References, History

Boston University Environmental Health and Safety

Purpose

The purpose of this document is to define and clarify the policies pursuant to roles and responsibilities for the proper care and maintenance of Biological Safety Cabinets (BSCs) to ensure the safety and protection of lab personnel, and their research.

Covered Parties

This policy applies to all Principal Investigators (PIs) under the auspices of Boston University working with biological and other materials requiring a biological safety cabinet, BU Environmental Health and Safety Office (EHS), and contracting vendor.

Definitions

  • Biosafety Cabinets or BSCs: Biosafety cabinets (BSCs) are primary containment workstations that provide personnel, product, and environmental protection.
  • Testing and Certification: On-site testing that meets the field test criteria using the current edition of the NSF International Standard 49, Class II (Laminar Flow) Biohazard Cabinetry, Appendix F. Certification ensures functional operation and integrity of the BSC and shall only be performed by NSF-certified technicians.

Policy

Proper use of a BSC provides a high level of containment that protects the operator from exposure. A BSC is considered one of the most critical pieces of safety equipment in biological laboratories because of its importance in providing containment and safety protections in the laboratory.

For these reasons it is the policy of Boston University to adhere to the guidelines set forth by the National Sanitation Foundation Standard/American National Standard 49 (NSF/ANSI 49) which states that the BSC must be certified after initial installation, when it is moved to a new location, when repaired, and annually. The testing and certification will be performed by a qualified contractor certified to test the BSC.

Responsibilities

Each stakeholder’s responsibilities as part of this policy are outlined below.

Environmental Health & Safety
  • Yearly re-certification of BSCs fall under the responsibility of EHS except in areas that have their own policies and procedures on care and maintenance in place.
  • EHS will coordinate BSC re-certifications with outside vendor and PI to ensure minimal interruption to research and without lapse.
Principal Investigator
  • Initial certification of a newly acquired/installed BSC.
  • PIs are responsible for the initial BSC certifications for new lab build-outs, or when a new BSC is procured.
  • Care, maintenance, and repair of the BSCs. If maintenance and/or repair is required during annual certification, the lab is responsible for this service and will be responsible for coordinating with service provider.
  • The PI will ensure the BSC is not used unless properly maintained and certified according to this policy. If certification is not current, the PI will contact EHS.
  • PI will notify EHS when a BSC is added or deleted from the lab’s equipment inventory.
Contracting Company
  • Certification of BSC: At time of certification of BSC, technicians shall provide certification test reports to EHS and place new certification label on each BSC. Reports shall document the tests that were performed, their results and whether the cabinet passed or failed certification.
  • Decommissioning of BSC: In the event a BSC needs to be decommissioned technicians shall verify that each BSC has been effectively decontaminated by utilizing an EHS-approved test procedure, maintain a log of the test results, and provide verification test results to EHS.

Related Policies and References

  • NSF International Standard/American National Standard NSF/ANSI 49 – 2019, Biosafety Cabinetry: Design, Construction, Performance, and Field Certification
  • Centers for Disease Control: Biosafety in Microbial and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL) Current Edition
  • BU Biosafety Manual (Current Edition)

History

In the past, care, maintenance, and certification of BSCs fell on the responsibility of the PI. Under the new policy, EHS is responsible for annual recertification of BSCs.

Last revised: January 31, 2023