Important Points to Consider When Using Biological Safety Cabinets

Please be aware of the following precautions when using biological safety cabinets:

1. Slowing Motion Principle: To avoid affecting the normal airflow state, hands should move as smoothly as possible during cabinet operations.

2. Principle of Parallel Arrangement of Items: Avoid cross-contamination of items by laying them horizontally in a single row inside the cabinet, while also ensuring not to block the back air return grille to maintain a normal airflow path.

3. Principle of Vibration Avoidance: Minimize the use of centrifuges, vortex oscillators, and other vibration equipment inside the cabinet to prevent affecting the airflow of vertical sedimentation.

4. Wear clean lab coats before operation, wash hands thoroughly, and wipe down the work surface of the safety cabinet with 70% alcohol or other disinfectant.

5. Items required for the work process should be neatly arranged and placed in a secure cabinet before the work begins. Throughout the entire work process, no items should be removed or inserted through the air flow barrier.

6. During the operation, minimize the number of times your arms enter and exit, and move slowly when entering or exiting the safe cabinet with your arms.

7. Items within the cabinet should be moved from low-pollution to high-pollution, and experimental operations within the cabinet should be conducted from the clean area to the polluted area. A towel dampened with disinfectant can be placed at the bottom before operation to absorb any splashed liquid.

8. Avoid placing centrifuges, oscillators, and other equipment inside safety cabinets whenever possible.

9. No open flames are allowed inside the safe cabinet.

To ensure the safety of biological safety cabinets, regular maintenance and care are essential, including cleaning and disinfecting the work area before and after each use, and replacing expired HEPA filters by professionals. Safety inspections of the cabinets should be conducted in any of the following situations: before being put into use after installation; during the annual routine inspection; after the cabinet is relocated; and after replacing HEPA filters and performing internal component repairs. Safety inspections include checking the air flow direction and velocity, the downward air flow velocity and uniformity, the cleanliness of the work area, noise levels, illumination, and cabinet leakage.