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Biosafety Level 3 Maintenance

The following information may be used as a basis for providing guidance to maintenance personnel who may have to provide support maintenance in a BSL-3 Facility.  This information must be supplemented with site specific information regarding the containment design and operation of the specific facility.

Generic Maintenance Safety Information - BSL-3 Facility

Introduction

(Insert name of your facility) is a state-of-the-art Biosafety Level 3 laboratory and/or animal facility.  This facility has been built to the specifications of the National Institutes of Health, Division of Engineering Services Guidelines for the Construction of Laboratories and Vivariums and meets the requirements of the CDC/NIH Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories, 4^th Edition.  The facility is a validated Biosafety Level 3 facility.

Note: Containment laboratories are NOT contaminated unless there has been a major spill within the containment space.  However, routine and facility-specific precautions must be followed by all personnel entering the containment areas.

The BSL-3 facility has been constructed so that the majority of the systems that need routine servicing and maintenance are located outside of the containment envelope in mechanical spaces.  These systems are protected from potential contamination by HEPA filter units, physical separation from contaminated areas and administrative controls.  No routine maintenance should be required within the BSL-3 laboratories or animal facilities except for light fixture lamp changes.  This maintenance is to be performed by laboratory personnel.

HVAC Maintenance

Figure 1:  HVAC ducts and HEPA filter housing

Exhaust ductwork and fans

HEPA filters have been installed in the filter units of the exhaust system.  These filters protect the ductwork and fans from potential contamination.  All ductwork between the laboratory and the filter housing is subject to contamination should a spill occur in the laboratory.  Ductwork and fans are protected by the HEPA filters and are not considered contaminated.

Maintenance safety requirements

1. Any maintenance work on the exhaust ducts upstream of the HEPA filters would require decontamination of the ductwork from the laboratories up to and including the filter housing.

2. Once decontamination is performed, no special personal protective equipment is necessary for working on the equipment.

3. Maintenance work on exhaust ducts or fans downstream of the HEPA filters does not require decontamination or special personal protective equipment.

Supply ductwork and fans 

Maintenance safety requirements

1. Maintenance work on the supply system, fans or ducts does not require any special personal protective equipment.

Vacuum Systems:  All vacuum systems are protected at the point of use by HEPA, or equivalent filters. 

Maintenance safety requirements

1. No special precautions are necessary for work on the vacuum systems within the building.

Entry Into Containment Areas

While there should be no need for routine maintenance within the containment area, all maintenance personnel who must enter into the containment area must:

1. Receive permission from the designated individual in charge of that part of the facility that must be entered.

2. Schedule maintenance with the designated personnel in charge of the laboratory unit.

3. Obtain a document, signed by the laboratory supervisor stating that the laboratory personnel have secured all infectious materials and that the laboratory has been appropriately disinfected (bench tops wiped with disinfectant, biosafety cabinets appropriately disinfected, etc.).

4. Use personal protective equipment as required by the designated individual in charge.

5. Be accompanied by BSL-3 laboratory personnel while in the containment laboratory

Maintenance on Equipment Within the Containment Areas:  Routine, preventive maintenance on equipment within the containment suite should be reserved for those times scheduled for routine yearly shutdown of the facility.  Should equipment require service prior to routine shutdown, it must be decontaminated by the owner/laboratory personnel prior to allowing maintenance personnel to handle the equipment.

Maintenance safety requirements: 

1. Laboratory and animal care personnel must have knowledge of, and be capable of, the appropriate decontamination procedures for various pieces of equipment within their area.

2. Laboratory or animal care personnel must document their decontamination process and keep records of the decontamination of any equipment requiring maintenance.

3. If the equipment can be removed from the containment area, it should be decontaminated and removed by the area personnel.

4. If the equipment must remain in the containment area, and maintenance personnel must enter the containment area, they must follow the requirements for entry, listed above (Entry Into Containment Areas).

PROTOCOL

BSL-3 Facility Maintenance

1.   Minor Routine Maintenance

Examples: Changing light bulbs or fuses

Personnel:  Lab staff

Lab Operations: No shutdown    

Decontamination:   Surface decon in affected areas

PPE: Normal PPE for lab operations

Biosafety Role:  No involvement necessary

2.  Major Routine Maintenance

Examples: Equipment malfunction, small plumbing leak

Personnel: Shops or Service Rep, escorted by Biosafety

Lab Operations: Shut down operations, secure agents     

Decontamination:  Surface decon of equipment and nearby surfaces and floor

PPE:  Normal PPE for lab operations

Biosafety Role:  Review approach and procedures, provide escort