Biosafety in the laboratory
Lab Edu✓
DO
Disinfect surfaces
Wipe down before and after every session.
Step 3 / 6VOICE · ON
IN ONE LINE
Biosafety levels match your containment to the organism — and the biosafety cabinet is the heart of it.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
Match work to the correct biosafety level (BSL-1 to BSL-4).
Use a biological safety cabinet to protect yourself and the sample.
Decontaminate, autoclave and dispose of biological waste properly.
READ THE LESSON
Levels scale with the risk
BSL-1 is for well-characterised agents not known to cause disease; BSL-2, -3 and -4 add containment, controlled access and specialised cabinets as the hazard grows.
The cabinet protects three things
A Class II biosafety cabinet protects you, the sample and the room at once using HEPA-filtered, directional airflow. Keep the sash at the marked line and work slowly to avoid disturbing it.
Nothing leaves uncontained
Cultures, tips and plates are autoclaved or chemically inactivated before they leave the lab. Treat every biological as if it were infectious.
Airflow
Don't block the front or rear grilles of the BSC — they create the curtain of air that keeps aerosols inside.
QUICK CHECK
1 / 5What sets the biosafety level for your work?
Select an answer to continue
CORE · 06
KEY POINTS
Biosafety level is set by the agent, not the task.
Aerosol work belongs in a biosafety cabinet.
Disinfect before and after; respect contact time.
Autoclave biological waste before disposal.
REFERENCES
CDC/NIH BMBL 6th Edition
WHO Laboratory Biosafety Manual 4th Ed.
NSF/ANSI 49 — Biosafety cabinets
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