Posted December 4, 2025 by Tiffany Lee
The university’s Environmental Health and Safety office is spreading the word on campus about best practices for using biological safety cabinets.
BSCs rely on controlled airflow to protect both the user and the research materials. BSCs are certified annually by a contractor to ensure that they function as designed. Building occupants are notified when BSCs in their area are scheduled for certification. Users must ensure that their BSCs are empty and have been decontaminated in preparation for certification.
During normal use, only items essential to the current procedure should be placed inside the cabinet. This practice helps prevent cross-contamination, maintains proper airflow and supports an efficient work environment. Once a work session is completed, all items must be chemically disinfected with appropriate contact time and all items removed from the BSC. The interior surfaces, including the work area and side panels, should be thoroughly disinfected after each use. These steps help preserve the safety and integrity of the workspace for both current and future users.
To help the research community understand these processes, EHS offers the following standard operating procedures:
Working in a Biological Safety Cabinet (BSC) SOP: https://ehs.unl.edu/sites/unl.edu.business-and-finance.university-operations.ehs/files/media/file/s-bio-working_bio_cabinet.pdf
Biological Safety Cabinet Classification and Design SOP: https://ehs.unl.edu/sites/unl.edu.business-and-finance.university-operations.ehs/files/media/file/s-bio-cabinet.pdf
