2.2 Equipment

Equipment should be selected to take certain general principles into account – that is equipment should be:

  • designed to prevent or limit contact between the operator and the infectious material;
  • constructed of materials that are impermeable to liquids and resistant to corrosion;
  • fabricated to be smooth and without sharp edges and unguarded moving parts;
  • designed, constructed and installed to facilitate simple operation, and provide for easy maintenance, cleaning, decontamination and certification testing; glassware and other breakable materials should be avoided, whenever possible.

In addition to the specific equipment needed for laboratories with different risk levels (described in Chapters 3, 4 and 5) more information on BSCs is given in Chapter 6, and information on other safety equipment is given in Chapter 7. In laboratories where the risk of infection is considered to be moderate or high, the BSC provides the primary containment of infectious aerosols generated by certain procedures.

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