LABORATORY BIOSAFETY MANUAL - WHO

1 Interim guidelinesWHO/CDS/CSR/ MANUALSECOND EDITION (REVISED)WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATIONG eneva 2003interim guidelines World Health Organization 2003 This publication is not a formal publication of the World Health Organization (WHO), and all rights arereserved by the Organization. The publication may, however, be freely reviewed, abstracted, reproducedand translated, in part or in whole, but not for sale or for use in conjunction with commercial views expressed in publications by named authors are solely the responsibility of those designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication, including tables andmaps, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the secretariat of the WorldHealth Organization concerning the legal status of any country, territory.

2 City or area or of its authorities,or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Dotted lines on maps represent approximateborder lines for which there may not yet be full mention of specific companies or of certain manufacturers' products does not imply that they areendorsed or recommended by WHO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not and omissions excepted, the names of proprietary products are distinguished by initial guidelinesWHO/CDS/CSR/ .. vAcknowledgements.

3 1 PART I assessment .. 7 Specimens for which there is limited information .. 7 Risk assessment and genetically modified microorganisms .. laboratories BIOSAFETY Levels 1 and 10 Code of 10 LABORATORY design and facilities .. 11 LABORATORY equipment .. 13 Health and medical surveillance .. 13 Training .. 14 Waste handling .. 14 Chemical, fire, electrical and radiation safety .. containment LABORATORY BIOSAFETY Level 3 .. 17 Code of 17 LABORATORY design and facilities .. 17 LABORATORY equipment .. 18 Health and medical surveillance.

4 Maximum containment LABORATORY BIOSAFETY Level 4 .. 20 LABORATORY design and facilities .. 20 LABORATORY BIOSAFETY MANUAL .. animal facilities .. 22 Animal facility BIOSAFETY Level 1 .. 22 Animal facility BIOSAFETY Level 2 .. 23 Animal facility BIOSAFETY Level 3 .. 23 Animal facility BIOSAFETY Level 4 .. 24 Invertebrates .. 24 PART II LABORATORY safety 29 Class I biological safety 30 Class II biological safety 30 Class III biological safety 32 Biological safety cabinet air connections .. 33 Selection of a biological safety 33 Using biological safety cabinets in the 37 Equipment that may create a 37interim guidelinesLaboratory BIOSAFETY MANUAL , 2nd revised edition WHO/CDS/CSR/ designed to reduce biological 39 Negative-pressure flexible-film isolators.

5 40 Pipetting aids .. 40 Homogenizers, shakers, blenders and 41 Disposable transfer loops .. 41 Personal protective clothing and 41 PART III Good microbiological technique10. Safe LABORATORY 45 Safe handling of specimens in the 45 Use of pipettes and pipetting 45 Avoiding the dispersal of infectious of biological safety cabinets .. 46 Avoiding ingestion of infectious materials and contact with skin and eyes .. 46 Avoiding injection of infectious materials .. 47 Separation of serum .. 47 Use of centrifuges .. 47 Use of homogenizers, shakers, blenders and 48 Use of tissue grinders.

6 48 Care and use of refrigerators and of ampoules containing lyophilized infectious materials .. 48 Storage of ampoules containing infectious materials .. 49 Special precautions with blood and other body fluids, tissues and excreta .. 49 Precautions with materials that may contain prions .. 5011. BIOSAFETY and recombinant DNA 52 Biological expression 52 Properties of the donor organism and cloned DNA .. 52 Viral vectors for gene 53 Transgenic and knock-out 53 Transgenic 53 Conclusions .. 5312. Transport of infectious substances.

7 5513. Contingency plans and emergency 56 Contingency plan .. 56 Emergency procedures for microbiological 5614. Disinfection and sterilization .. 59 Definitions .. 59 Precleaning and cleaning LABORATORY 59 Chemical 60 Local environmental decontamination ..63 Decontamination of biological safety 63 Hand-washing/hand decontamination .. 64 Heat disinfection and sterilization .. 64 Incineration .. 66 Disposal .. 66 Decontamination of prion-containing materials .. 66 PART IV Chemical, fire and electrical safety15. Hazardous chemicals.

8 69 Definitions and classifications .. 69 Routes of 69 Storage of chemicals .. 69interim guidelinesWHO/CDS/CSR/ ContentsiiiGeneral rules .. 70 Toxic effects of 70 Explosive 72 Chemical 72 Compressed and liquefied gases .. 7316. Fire in the LABORATORY .. 7417. Electrical hazards .. 75 PART V safety organization and training18. The BIOSAFETY officer and safety officer .. 77 safety committee.

9 78 General 7819. safety rules for support 79 Engineering and building maintenance services .. 79 Cleaning (domestic) 79 safety rules for domestic and cleaning staff ..7920. Training programmes .. 81 Basic course: Good LABORATORY practice (GLP) .. 82 Module 1 (the core module): Good microbiological technique (GMT).. 83 Module 2: The safe LABORATORY environment .. 83 Module 3: GLP for support 84 Module 4: GLP for safety staff .. 84 Module 5: GLP for specialist staff who handle microorganisms in Risk Groups 3 and 4 .. 8521. safety checklist.

10 87 LABORATORY premises .. 89 Storage 89 Sanitation and staff facilities .. 89 Heating and ventilation .. 89 Lighting .. 90 Services .. 90 Security .. 90 Fire prevention .. 90 Flammable liquid 90 Electrical 91 Compressed and liquefied gases .. 91 Personal protection .. 91 Health and safety of staff .. 91 LABORATORY equipment .. 92 Infectious materials .. 92 Chemicals and radioactive substances ..92 References .. 94 ANNEX 1 Immunization of staff .. 98 ANNEX 2 WHO BIOSAFETY Collaborating 99interim guidelinesinterim guidelinesWHO/CDS/CSR/ World Health Organization (WHO) has long recognized that safety and, in particular, biological safetyare important international issues.