Biological Safety Cabinet User Guide

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Guide to the Use of Biological Safety Cabinets in Microbiology Laboratories I. Pre-use Preparation 1. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Wear pure cotton work clothes/protective garments, latex gloves, goggles, a protective mask, and a hat to avoid contact with harmful microorganisms and chemicals. 2. Equipment inspection: Check that there are no foreign objects or contaminants inside the biosafety cabinet, and verify that the wind speed and air flow pathways are normal (e.g., inlet air flow speed > 0.5 m/s) ； Confirm that the front window glass is raised to the position indicated by the red dot (rising above or below this position will trigger an audible and visual alarm). 3. Cabinet cleaning and item placement: Before the experiment, wipe the interior surfaces of the cabinet with 70% alcohol, and then use sterile water to remove any remaining chlorine in order to reduce the risk of cross-infection ； Move the items required for the experiment into the cabinet in advance (such as culture media, pipettes, centrifuge tubes), to avoid frequent passing through the air curtain ； Place the item in the center of the work area, so it does not block the airway opening. II. Operating Procedure
1. Start the equipment: Connect to power and turn on the fan ； During normal operation, both the lighting and the fan should be turned on simultaneously; the front cabinet door must be closed before turning on the ultraviolet lamp to avoid radiation damage. 2. After the fan has started operating stably, wait for 5 minutes to allow the air inside the cabinet to be purified and the airflow to stabilize. 3. Begin by slowly extending both arms into the cabinet; wait for 1 minute to allow the airflow to stabilize ； Move gently and smoothly during operation to avoid disrupting the airflow ； Follow the operation sequence from the clean area to the contaminated area (in the middle of the work area, with the clean and contaminated areas on either side). 4. The experimental samples for item management are placed in the center of the work area, while waste is placed in designated containers ； Do not place unrelated items (such as personal belongings or excess reagents) to avoid disrupting airflow. III. Precautions during use 1. Posture and movements: Keep the arm perpendicular to the air duct while operating, maintain an appropriate posture to ensure smooth airflow. 2. Avoid open flames: The use of alcohol lamps and other open flames is strictly prohibited inside the cabinet to prevent heat from interfering with air flow. 3. The front window control is used to maintain the opening height of the front window glass at the red mark position; if it goes above or below this level, an audio-visual alarm will be triggered, and it is necessary to adjust it to the correct height. 4. Protect the air intake grille – Do not block the front air intake grille, as this will render the safety protection mechanisms ineffective and increase the risk of sample contamination. 5. Alarm handling: When the safety cabinet emits audible and visual alarms (such as abnormal glass door height or airflow fluctuations), operations should be stopped immediately to identify and resolve the issue (such as adjusting the glass door height or cleaning the air intake grille). IV. Post-experiment handling 1. Turn off the equipment: After the experiment is complete, close the front cabinet door, as well as the lighting and fans ； If there is a UV lamp, turn it off. 2. For disinfection and cleaning, spray the interior surface of the cabinet with 70% alcohol or a 2% bleach solution (avoid spraying directly on the filter), let it sit for 10–15 minutes, and then wipe it clean ； Rinse with deionized water and dry the surface to avoid any residual moisture ； Note: Do not use chlorine-based disinfectants (they will corrode the cabinet). To clean residual dirt, use isopropyl alcohol diluted with deionized water. 3. Waste disposal: Place the pipette tips and waste materials inside the cabinet into biohazard bags, disinfect them, and then remove them from the cabinet ； The waste liquid buckets are placed inside the cabinet to prevent contaminants from escaping. 4. Regular cleaning of the work area for equipment maintenance (such as work surfaces and wall panels) ； Replace the filter element (every 6 months to 1 year, depending on usage frequency) ； Check components such as the power supply, fans, and filters to ensure they are operating properly. V. Other precautions 1. Avoid confusion between devices – Do not confuse biological safety cabinets with laminar flow hoods (biological safety cabinets have negative pressure protection to safeguard operators and the environment) ； A laminar flow hood mainly protects the samples). 2. Regular certification: Biological safety cabinets require annual certification (such as testing air flow velocity and checking filters for leaks) to ensure compliance with safety standards. 3. Prohibition on storage: Do not use the biosafety cabinet as a storage area (for storing reagents, consumables, etc.). Placing too many items in it will affect the airflow pattern and the protective barrier