Equipment

Equipment in Biohazard Labs

Biohazard laboratories contain a variety of equipment both for general laboratory use and for the handling, manipulation or storage of infectious material or toxins. Laboratory equipment can be hazardous if they are not used and maintained properly. Laboratory personnel must be trained on the proper use of equipment prior to use. This training must be documented and available for review during the Biosafety audit.

Biohazard equipment signage must be affixed to any piece of equipment used to STORE biohazards. This includes incubators, freezers, fridges, and liquid nitrogen dewars. Biohazard equipment signage must include supervisor and worker local contact information, the risk group of the biological material stored inside, and the local security number. Equipment within a laboratory space that does not store biohazards does not require Biohazard equipment signage. Please contact the Research Compliance Auditor to request signage or visit the MBSO at HSC 1J11A.

Equipment SOPs

If you are newly using biohazards with an existing piece of equipment, or have acquired a new piece of equipment in which you are using biohazards, please contact the MBSO prior to such use so we may evaluate your process SOPs.

A standard operating procedure (SOP) must be written for each type of equipment found within a laboratory. The SOP must include information on the proper use, routine maintenance, and safety procedures. All users must be trained on the SOP before use.
Review the MBSO Lab SOPs page for template SOPs of common lab equipment. Note: some of the SOPs are left in .docx format and contain blue highlighted sections. This allows each lab to customize the SOP template with lab specific information.

Lab SOPs

Equipment Maintenance

All equipment that is used with biohazards must be decontaminated prior to any maintenance.

Equipment that is operated and maintained properly minimizes the risk of exposure and prevents the release of pathogens and toxins into the environment. All supervisors are accountable for ensuring their equipment is maintained per the Preventative Maintenance Program RMM 406.
Maintenance or repairs to any laboratory equipment must be performed by a qualified individual or service technician. Routine Maintenance or Preventative maintenance must be performed according to the manufacturer’s manual.

Equipment Moves or Disposal

All equipment that is used with biohazards must be decontaminated prior to moving or disposal.

To move or dispose of equipment, a work order or work request will have to be submitted. Follow your building specific procedures, note an account number will have to be provided.
An inventory of Biological Safety Cabinets and Autoclaves are maintained by the MBSO. Contact the Research Compliance Auditor to update the inventory when BSCs or Autoclaves are moved or disposed.

Biological Safety Cabinets

Biological Safety Cabinets (BSCs) are vital primary containment devices in biohazard labs for the protection of the person, the product and the environment. It is essential that all workers understand how to properly work within a BSC. Please see Additional Resources below for further information on using and cleaning BSCs.

Working in a BSC

Regardless of BSC length, only ONE person can work in a BSC at a time. BSCs are certified for one user only and additional users will disrupt the air flow and compromise BSC protection.

BSC Certification

BSCs used at Containment Level 2 or higher are required to be re-certified annually.
BSCs used for RG1 agents or molecular work are recommended to be re-certified on a regular basis to confirm equipment is operating within manufacturer specifications to ensure sterility and prevent cross-contamination. The supervisor is required to input re-certification frequency of Containment Level 1 BSCs within their BUP.
Certification can be arranged directly by the lab or by contacting the Research Compliance Auditor. The laboratory supervisor is responsible for recertification costs.
Prior to Certification/Servicing/Movement any equipment that comes into contact with biohazardous material MUST be decontaminated. Follow the Decontamination, Movement and Certification of BSCs.

A note about UV Light

Ultraviolet light bulbs are installed in every BSC. The UV bulbs are used to decontaminate surfaces, however there are many limitations to using UV bulbs. If the bulbs are dirty, the UV will not reach the BSC surfaces. Also if there are items in the BSC, any shadows are not decontaminated. There are risks associated with ocular exposure to UV radiation. It is for these reasons why we do not recommend UV light as a reliable method of decontamination. Your BSC must be completely empty, pristine-clean and the bulb pristine-clean for this method to be reliable. Please see the Ultraviolet Light Bulletin for more information.

Storage Units

Autoclaves

Autoclaves are pressure vessels which inject steam into a sealed chamber and eject cold air by gravity fill or by vacuum assistance. The autoclave pushes steam into the vessel at pressure X to ensure that steam reaches temperature Y. For each autoclave, the relationship between X and Y are different depending on many factors.

All autoclaves, should be evaluated for their applicability under the Technical Standards & Safety Act, specifically the Boilers and Pressure Vessels Regulations. If applicable under this regulation, the autoclave is required to be inspected every year by McMaster's insurance provider for this purpose.

Decontamination of Waste

Autoclaves are not to be used to decontaminate waste unless registered with the MBSO.
A validation program and annual calibration must be in place for all autoclaves used for waste decontamination.
Autoclaves used for decontamination of waste must be calibrated annually to ensure temperature and pressure parameters are met. Calibrations are typically not included in PM packages, therefore please contact your servicer provider to arrange for calibration.
Please contact the Research Compliance Auditor to register your autoclave validation program.
Treated biomedical waste is NOT to be disposed through the regular (clear bag) garbage stream. If biomedical waste is autoclaved, it must still be disposed through the biomedical waste stream, regardless.
Download the Autoclave Management SOP and Autoclave Management Checklist.

Additional Equipment Resources

The MBSO has compiled a number of additional resources and useful links on various equipment found within biohazardous labs. If there is a topic you need additional resources for please contact mbso@mcmaster.ca for further support.