Biosafety Month 2022
A Biological Safety Cabinet (BSC) is designed to provide personnel, product, and environmental protection. To verify that a BSC is operating properly and providing personnel, product and environmental protection, a field certification is performed.
UW–Madison is one of only a few universities in the country to have a dedicated BSC Program Certification Team. BSC Program staff are highly skilled, NSF 49 accredited individuals within the Office of Biological Safety, conducting certifications of approximately 1,300 BSCs on campus along with hundreds of Clean Benches, Animal Transfer Stations, and room HEPA filtered systems.
During a field certification some of the tests that are performed include:
- Downflow Velocity Test
- Inflow Velocity Test
- Airflow Smoke Pattern Tests
- HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) Filter Leak Tests
There are other tests that are required for a complete certification; however, the tests listed are the main tests to ensure that the BSC is protecting you, your research, and the environment.
The BSC Program team also provides BSC decontamination service on request for lab moves, which should be performed before removing or disassembling a BSC. The team also performs repairs and troubleshooting of BSC, Clean Bench and Animal Transfer Station issues.
For more information or to request service, please visit the Biological Safety Cabinets page on the EH&S website.
It’s Biosafety and Biosecurity Month 2022! Learn about the latest biological safety updates that impact labs like yours on the UW–Madison campus, and get the flyer to help spread the word.
The UW-Madison Office of Biological Safety is a proud member of the American Biological Safety Association (ABSA).