SOP-6.4.

6 Biological safety cabinet

Disinfect the work area before and

after using the BSC
All items or apparatus are
disinfected before entering and
Do not expose eyes and skin to exiting the work area
direct UV light

Room activity is minimized as

these movements may possibly
impair the containment capabilities
Air turbulence-generating of the BSC
equipment is placed towards the
back of the BSC Safety and precautions

The air grilles shall not be

Aerosol-generating instruments obstructed and all work shall be
are placed as far inside the BSC done as far inside the BSC as
as possible and at least 150 mm possible—at least 150 mm behind
from clean items or materials the front intake air grille
Avoid using flammable liquids or
Bunsen burners inside the BSC. If
the usage of Bunsen burner is
unavoidable, it shall be placed in
the right side of the work zone,
and its flame shall never be left on
when the fan of BSC is not
operating
Frequency

Scope of work Frequency

External calibration Annually
External service and maintenance Annually
Intermediate check Quarterly
Internal maintenance Before and after each use

Procedure

ESCO Streamline Class II SC2-4E1 Biological Safety Cabinet

- It is an equipment that combines airflow control and HEPA filter and is designed to
protect the operator, laboratory environment, and samples from exposure to infectious
aerosols, splashes and cross-contamination

Operation and usage

-The sash of the unit is raised to the indicated normal
operational height. The lamp then will be automatically
switched on
-The fan is turned on by pressing the fan button. This will
start the warm-up procedure. The lights is turned off and
all buttons are disabled during this procedure
-The light will be switched back on after the warm-up
and the BSC is ready for work. The light and socket
buttons are used to control the lights and power outlets.
The ‘SET’ button is pressed to mute any alarms
-The work area is decontaminated. It is recommended to
let the BSC run for 5-10 mins before usage
-Required items and apparatus are placed in a safe
working area. Clean and dirty materials are segregated,
preferably on opposite sides of the analyst
-Work with a limited number of arm movements as much
as possible and avoid blocking the airflow
-All apparatus in direct contact with biological agents
shall be enclosed or disinfected after use. Let the BSC to
run for at least 5 mins with no activity before witching the
unit off
-All items are decontaminated and removed from the
BSC. The work surface, side walls, and back walls are
also disinfected
 -The fan is turned off by pressing the fan button. The
purge procedure will start, the lights will be turned off
and all buttons are disabled during this procedure
-The sash is lowered to the fully closed position. The
display will show ‘UV MODE’. The sash can also be
lowered immediately after turning off the fan the fan
-Optionally, the UV lamp can be turned on to
decontaminate the work area by pressing the UV button
after the sash is lowered when purging is completed
Intermediate check- sterility check

-The sterility check is performed quarterly

-The BSC is switched on and disinfected
-Three tryptone soya agar (TSA) and three Sabourad
dextrose agar (SDA) plates are prepared for each BSC
-One of each plate is placed 8 inches away from the left,
right, and back counter edges
-The lids are removed from the agar plates and are
exposed under airflow for one hour
-The TSA and SDA plates are incubated at 36 ± 1˚C for
2 days and 30 ± 1˚C for 5 days respectively
-Pass sterility check: no growth on the pates

Failed sterility check: growth on the plates which

indicates that the HEPA filter has expired and needs to
be replaced
Intermediate check- UV light efficiency check
-Test suspensions containing 200-300 colony forming
units (cfu) per mL of Escherichia coli and Candida
abicans are prepared
-Dilution-plating is performed to determine the actual
count of each test suspension
-Prepare one TSA and one SDA plate for each BSC. 1
mL of E. coli and C. albicans suspensions are added
onto the TSA and SDA plates, respectively
-One of each inoculated plate is placed inside the BSC
and the UV lamp is switched on for 2 minutes
-The TSA and SDA plates are incubated at 36 ± 1˚C for
2 days and 30 ± 1˚C for 5 days respectively
-The reduction in microorganism growth must be at
least 99% relative to the actual count of each test
suspension
-To prevent the introduction of foreign biological agents
into virology and tissue culture this intermediate check
is not required in these labs
-Internal maintenance is performed before and after
each use. The work area is decontaminated with
disinfectant
-Do not clean the control panel, plastic input modules,
and other plastic components with caustic or solvent-
based cleaning agents
-All intermediate checks are recorded in F-6.4.9