As part of this battle, biosecurity is of vital importance, since it is responsible for preventing risks to health and to the environment from exposure to biological agents that cause disease.
Biosafety is the name given to the rules and barriers established to prevent biological risk..
Biosafety is achieved by: implementing various degrees of laboratory controls and containment; through the lab design and access restrictions; via personnel expertise; through the use of specialized containment equipment (such as biosafety cabinets); and defined operating procedures..
The use of biosafety practices and principles to reduce the health-related risks associated with handling infectious agents, toxins and other biological hazards is important in a laboratory setting..
In addition to protecting humans and animals from health risks, biosafety and biosecurity also provide other benefits in scientific research and development.
Good practice in biosafety and biosecurity improves the quality of research by ensuring the integrity and reliability of the data it produces..
Biosafety includes the protective measures against the risks of contamination with pathogen germs in the laboratories that handle pathogens, or stock or manipulate potentially contaminated products, or perform microbiological tests for medical or scientific research purposes, as well as the means of protecting the .
No eating, drinking, smoking, or applying cosmetics in the lab.
Disinfecting work surfaces daily and decontaminating after spills.
Prudent handling, management, and disposal of sharps.
Using procedures that minimize the formation of aerosols and splashes; engineering controls for aerosol release may be required..
The four biosafety levels are BSL-1, BSL-2, BSL-3, and BSL-4, with BSL-4 being the highest (maximum) level of containment.
There are additional specific rules and designations for animal research (ABSL), agricultural research (BSL-Ag), and other types of research..
Biosafety levels (BSL) are used to identify the protective measures needed in a laboratory setting to protect workers, the environment, and the public.
The levels are defined in Biosafety in Biomedical Laboratories (the BMBL)..
Biosafety provides policies and practices to prevent the unintentional or accidental release of specific biological agents and toxins, whereas biosecurity provides policies and practices to prevent the intentional or negligent release of biological materials or the acquisition of knowledge, tools, or techniques that .
Experiments that demonstrate 14 Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories transmission of disease from an infected animal to a normal animal housed in the same cage are reliable indicators of hazard.
Experiments that do not demonstrate .
(publisher's description) "Biosafety in the Laboratory is a concise set of practical guidelines for handling and disposing of biohazardous material.
The consensus of top experts in laboratory safety, this volume provides the information needed for immediate improvement of safety practices.
Laboratory biosecurity is a newer concept and is much less well-known to many laboratories around the world.
Further, the term “biosecurity” for those in the animal industry relates to the protection of an animal colony from microbial contamination.
Policies should also be developed for personnel and visitor 126 Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories identification, visitor management, access procedures, and reporting of security incidents.
Inventory and Accountability Material accountability procedures should be established to track the inventory .
High security National Biocontainment Laboratory
