LIMS & Lab Automation


Bespoke biosafety: Building a custom biosafety cabinet around your laboratory automation equipment


Julianne L. Baron, PhD, CPH, RBP, Science and Safety Consulting President of Science and Safety Consulting. She has a background in infectious diseases, biosafety, and public health and consults on laboratory safety and design, pandemic preparedness, and scientifi c communication.


What happens when your risk assessment identifi es that the large equipment (3D bioprinters, cell sorters, automated liquid handlers, etc.) you plan to use requires a primary containment device, such as a biosafety cabinet (BSC)? Will it safely fi t inside a standard 6 ft. (1.8 m) BSC while still providing adequate containment? In some cases, a custom BSC designed specifi cally to fi t around your equipment and your laboratory processes may be necessary to provide suffi cient personnel, product, and environmental protection. In this article, we will discuss:


1. How to determine if your equipment needs to be placed inside a custom biosafety cabinet


2. What equipment features and user requirements are important discussion points for custom BSC design


3. Where to physically install a custom BSC in your lab space


4. Considerations for performance testing and fi eld certifi cation to ensure proper BSC airfl ow, operations, and containment with the equipment inside


Custom biosafety cabinet risk assessment


Figure 1: Standard Class II Type A2 Biosafety Cabinet.


When conducting a risk assessment for laboratory work involving biological materials, one important aspect is to review the procedural risk factors and laboratory processes that are going to be performed with the hazardous agent(s) [1-4]. This should include a review of specifi c laboratory equipment where biohazardous materials will be handled or processed.


Additionally, the use of chemicals or radiological materials simultaneously along with the biological agents or in the same piece of equipment should be considered as part of a complete risk assessment. For more detailed information about conducting thorough risk assessments, especially those involving risk mitigation using BSCs, consider reviewing references 1-4.


Small bench-top aerosol generating equipment such as blenders, sonicators, vortexers, grinders, and microcentrifuges may easily fi t inside a primary containment device, like a BSC, without any necessary modifi cations to the containment device. However, other larger equipment used to work with biological materials may be too large or uniquely shaped to be placed inside a standard, off-the-shelf BSC model. The BSC selected must not only be able to physically contain the device but also be large enough to allow for adequate airfl ow around the equipment and provide the product, personnel, and environmental protections afforded by that type of BSC. Review of this equipment prior to purchase by laboratory users and safety subject matter experts will facilitate consideration of the options for risk mitigation strategies for the work with this device. These discussions may also involve the equipment manufacturer and containment device manufacturer, however, ultimately the risk assessment and selected control measures are the responsibility of the user. These large pieces of equipment may present additional safety concerns including the spillage of fl uids that are added to or produced by the equipment, the moving parts of the equipment, and ergonomic issues associated with manipulating materials or the equipment itself. Therefore, early consultation with safety professionals should be part of the risk assessment process for the use of new or large equipment that may be used with biological agents or multiple types of hazardous materials.


Depending on the needs of the researcher, the equipment requiring containment, and the hazards associated, BSCs may require smaller modifi cations (such as an altered front sash to accommodate the eyepieces of a microscope, changes to the work surface to accommodate small equipment or containers, or the placement of a plate or shield in the centre of the front sash and the BSC’s air intake opening such as for use with radiological materials [2], or the BSC may need to be built from scratch for the


Figure 2: Standard biosafety cabinet with obstructed airfl ow caused by overcrowding the work zone.


Figure 3: Augmented biosafety cabinet to accommodate the oversized equipment inside the work zone.


Considerations for your equipment and BSC design


Once it has been determined that the equipment needs a biocontainment solution and will not fi t inside a standard biosafety cabinet, you should reach out to your selected BSC manufacturer to begin the custom design process. You should be ready to discuss the specifi cations and needs of the equipment, processing steps, and requirements of the biological or other hazardous materials to be safely handled. You should get assistance from the equipment manufacturer and your safety subject matter experts to help consider the following items:


Equipment specifi cations


Likely the fi rst consideration for a custom BSC is the dimensions of the equipment that needs to be contained inside the work zone. As mentioned previously, the custom BSC needs to not only adequately fi t the piece or pieces of equipment but also still allow for proper functionality and the level of protection afforded by a Class II cabinet. This means that the equipment cannot impact the BSC’s air curtain or the HEPA- fi ltered downward laminar airfl ow provided to the BSC’s work surface. Additionally, some of these larger pieces of equipment may be of substantial weight and exceed the recommended capacity of a traditional cabinet’s work surface or base stand. The NSF/ANSI 49 – 2020 Informative Annex 1 notes that the base stand and supports for the BSC should be considered as part of the initial requirements assessment [3]. In the custom BSC design process, the weight of the equipment may therefore lead the BSC manufacturer to install reinforcements to the work surface and/or base to accommodate the equipment.


In addition to its size and weight, the equipment may have additional specifi cations or requirements that must be evaluated during the custom design process. Is the equipment particularly sensitive to vibrations? Does the device need to be run at a


equipment and research process(es). Examples of pieces of equipment, depending on their size and shape, that may require custom BSCs include 3D bioprinters, syringe or capsule fi llers, cell sorters or fl ow cytometers, fermenters or bioreactors, bulk weighing devices, and automated liquid handling equipment.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48