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Placement of your Biological Safety Cabinet is crucial to the safety of laboratory personnel and overall performance of the cabinet. Whether you work in a laboratory or pharmacy, BioSafety Cabinets need to be properly installed and placed in specific areas.
First, make sure your Biological Safety cabinet is not placed near any sources of common airflow in the laboratory. This includes air vents, personnel traffic lanes or doors. Placing your BSC near one of these sources may cause disruptions in the airflow within your BioSafety Cabinet. Airflow disruptions can increase the risk of cross-contamination.
Next, make sure your BSC exhaust filter outflow area is not placed nearby any ceiling exhaust or intake. The exhaust filter outflow area on the top of the BSC is extremely susceptible to disruptive air currents. This has the potential to influence both exhaust and inflow air. Disturbance of the exhaust and inflow air can effect the air balance and result in unsafe working conditions. If the air current is strong enough it can overpower the proper inflow velocity of the BioSafety cabinet. This could potentially cause contaminated room air to enter the work area.
The final point to consider applies to BioSafety cabinets used for more toxic chemicals that require exhaust canopies [E]. The placement of your BSC is important here as you will need to make sure the cabinet is positioned so an exhaust can easily be extended to reach the top of the unit’s canopy exhaust transition. You will also need to make sure there is 6 inches of space on each side [F] of the cabinet for maintenance access. The electrical outlet [G] where the BioSafety cabinet will be connected to should also be easily accessible as the power plug serves as an emergency disconnect and should not be obstructed.
For more information on proper placement of your BioSafety Cabinet, or questions on NuAire BioSafety Cabinets in general, go to our BioSafety Cabinets Product Pages here and click “request a proposal” today.
