Biosafety Level

All clinical microbiology laboratories must meet biosafety level 2 criteria and, depending on the services rendered and pathogens encountered, may need to meet biosafety level 3 criteria. Biosafety level 2 practices and facilities are recommended for handling and processing clinical specimens and animal tissues.

Biological Safety Cabinet (BSC): Types and Working Mechanism

An engineering control to protect laboratory workers, laboratory environment, and work materials from exposure to infectious or biohazardous aerosols.

Biosafety Levels and Agents of Disease

There are four risk groups (RG1-RG4, RG1 being lowest risk) and four bio-safety levels (BSL-1 to BSL-4). BSL-4 is maximum containment.

Biosafety level 2 (BSL2) guidelines for teaching laboratories

BSL2 is suitable for organisms that pose a moderate individual risk and low community risk for infection.

Biosafety level 1 (BSL1) guidelines for teaching laboratories

Work with microbes at the K–12 level, informal education settings and in undergraduate non-microbiology laboratories would almost always be at BSL1.