Please consult with EHS Biosafety Team for appropriate use, set up, location, decontamination and disposal of biosafety specialty equipment. See the Biosafety Program for additional information.
Biological Safety/Biosafety Cabinets (BSC’s)
- Class I cabinets are designed to provide personnel and environmental protection only. The research experiment material inside the cabinet is not protected and thus subject to contamination.
- The use of Class I biosafety cabinet is not advised at UMass Amherst. Consult with EHS if you feel you need to purchase one.
- Class II cabinets meet requirements for the protection of personnel, product, and the environment. There are four types of Class II cabinets (A, B1, B2 and B3), each differentiated according to the method by which air volumes are recirculated or exhausted.
- Class II, Type A biosafety cabinet is the most common cabinet on campus. It does not have to be vented, which makes it suitable for use in laboratory rooms unable to be ducted. This cabinet is acceptable for use of low to moderate risk agents in the absence of volatile toxic chemicals and volatile radionuclides.
- Note the biosafety cabinets have to be certified at least annually and whenever moved, even if just a few inches, to ensure that they are providing appropriate containment.
- Biosafety cabinets must be professionally decontaminated prior to moving from the laboratory or disposal.
PI and New Lab Start Up