Ergonomics And Safety In Biological Research Cabinets
Dave Phillips
Introduction
From the earliest forms of lab-acquired infections to the hazards posed by today's antibiotic-resistant bacteria and rapidly-mutating viruses, laboratories have had to eliminate risk. Many techniques produce aerosols containing hazardous material such as infectious agents or carcinogens that can be inhaled by researchers. The additional hazards posed by working with animal tissue and cell cultures, the importance of maintaining the sterility of cell lines, and the efforts employed to minimize cross-contamination create the need for biological safety cabinets that provide maximum sample protection. To maximize productivity while assuring the highest level of safety, these cabinets have become critical to research, and are now among the most effective and the most commonly used primary containment devices in laboratories.
A great amount of attention is being given to the environment and to ergonomic considerations. Repetitive tasks are inherent to research, and scientists are spending long periods of time working in safety cabinets. It is imperative that every employee working in a biological safety cabinet (BSC) is trained in its correct use and has a good understanding of the different types of cabinets and how they work.
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