Use of any of the equipment listed below results in considerable aerosol production. If hazardous bioaerosols are generated during a certain process and the equipment does not have a primary containment system, this must be done in a BSC.
Use tightly-sealed screw-cap tubes when centrifuging potentially infectious biological material.
It is recommended to use rotors with a tight lid, which protect the operator from possible aerosols (aerosol free centrifuges), and which can be removed from the centrifuge for safe transport.
To avoid spills, tubes, plugs, gaskets, adapters and rotors should be inspected before use.
To minimize the risk of leaks, avoid overfilling the centrifuge tubes. The outside of the tubes should be cleaned with a disinfectant after filling and sealing.
I will use centrifuges that have a safety closure system that prevents them from opening while they are in operation.
The ultracentrifuge must have imbalance sensors and an emergency stop function. Rotor balancing is essential.
Make correct use of eye protection, gloves and gown.
Perform closing and opening operations in BSC. If none are available, it is necessary to allow a minimum stabilization time of 10 minutes before opening.
The accidental breakage of a tube and spillage into the bucket represents an important incident that must be immediately reported to the supervisor, so that the equipment can be safely disinfected.
Use a brush to periodically clean and decontaminate the rotor and chamber.
Use specially designed equipment to prevent leaks caused by friction of the rotor with the bottom of the bowl.
Use containers with high thermal and chemical stability, with screw caps, outlet holes with filters, if necessary, and a good fastening system.
Wait at least 10 minutes for the aerosol cloud to settle before opening the mixer bowl.
Use and open containers in biosafety cabinets.
Depending on the type and model of the lyophilizer, bioaerosols can be created during the loading and unloading operations of the biological material to be treated.
Preparation of biological material should preferably be done in a BSC.
The vacuum pump must be protected by a HEPA filter or a 0.2 µm filter to prevent the entry of contaminated bioaerosols.
After lyophilization is complete, all exposed surfaces of the unit must be disinfected.
If the lyophilizer is equipped with a removable chamber, it must be closed and transferred to a BSC for unloading and decontamination.
Crop handling should be minimized and steam traps should be used whenever possible.
