California Code of Regulations › Title 8 - Industrial Relations › Division 1 - Department of Industrial Relations › Chapter 4 - Division of Industrial Safety › Subchapter 7 - General Industry Safety Orders › Group 16 - Control of Hazardous Substances › Article 107 - Dusts, Fumes, Mists, Vapors and Gases › Section 5154.2 - Ventilation Requirements for Biological Safety Cabinets

Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 28, July 12, 2024
(a) Scope and Application. When biological
						safety cabinets, as defined below, are used to prevent harmful exposure from
						biohazard agents or biohazardous materials or hazardous substances they shall
						conform to the provisions of this Section and Section
						5143.
EXCEPTION: Inspection doors or clean-out doors in
						  exhaust ducts required by Section
						  5143(a)(3) do not
						  apply to exhaust systems used in conjunction with biological safety
						  cabinets.
(b) Definitions.
(1) Biohazard agent means a replication
						capable pathogen which is a disease causing microorganism and is capable of
						causing diseases in humans including viruses, microbes and sub viral agents.
						The agent includes the agent, products of infectious agents, or the components
						of infectious agents presenting a risk of illness or injury.
(2) Biohazardous materials are any materials
						that would harbor biohazardous agents such as human blood, body fluids, or
						tissues that may be contaminated with biohazardous agents.
(3) Biosafety level. Biosafety levels consist
						of laboratory practices and techniques, safety equipment, and laboratory
						facilities appropriate for the operations performed and the hazard posed by the
						particular biohazard material. The National Institute of Health, Centers for
						Disease Control defines four levels of biosafety in HHS publication No.
						93-8395, "Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories", 1993. The
						publication states criteria for the determination of appropriate biosafety
						levels for microorganisms not listed.
(4) Biological safety cabinet. A ventilated
						cabinet which serves as a primary containment device for operations involving
						biohazard agents or biohazardous materials. Three classes of biological safety
						cabinets are described below:
Class I. The Class I biological safety cabinet is an
						  open-fronted, negative pressure, ventilated cabinet. Exhaust air from the
						  cabinet is filtered by a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter and
						  discharged without internal recirculation. This cabinet may be used in three
						  operational modes; with a full width open front, with an installed front
						  closure panel not equipped with gloves, and with an installed front closure
						  panel equipped with arm-length protective gloves.
Class II. The Class II vertical laminar flow biological
						  safety cabinet is an open fronted, ventilated cabinet. Exhaust air is filtered
						  with a high efficiency particulate air filter (HEPA). This cabinet provides
						  HEPA-filtered downward air flow within the workspace. Class II biological
						  safety cabinets are further classified as type A, type B1, type B2, and type
						  B3. Class II type A cabinets may have positive pressure contaminated internal
						  ducts and may exhaust HEPA filtered air into the laboratory. Class II type B1
						  cabinets have all biologically contaminated internal ducts or plenums under
						  negative pressure or surrounded by negative pressure ducts or plenums, exhaust
						  HEPA filtered air through external ducts to space outside the laboratory, and
						  have HEPA filtered downflow air composed largely of unrecirculated inflow air.
						  Class II type B2 cabinets (also know as "total exhaust" cabinets) have all
						  biologically contaminated internal ducts or plenums under negative pressure or
						  surrounded by negative pressure ducts or plenums, exhaust HEPA filtered air
						  through external ducts to space outside the laboratory, and have HEPA filtered
						  downflow air drawn from the laboratory or outside air. Class II type B3
						  cabinets (also known as "convertible" cabinets) have all biologically
						  contaminated internal ducts or plenums under negative pressure or surrounded by
						  negative pressure ducts or plenums, exhaust HEPA filtered air through external
						  ducts to space outside the laboratory, and have HEPA filtered downflow air that
						  is a portion of the mixed downflow and inflow air from a common exhaust
						  plenum.
NOTE: Design, construction, and performance standards
						  are available from the NSF International (the National Sanitation Foundation),
						  Ann Arbor, Michigan. That standard is "National Sanitation Foundation Standard
						  49 Class II (Laminar Flow) Biohazard Cabinetry".
Class III. The Class III biological safety cabinet is a
						  totally enclosed, negative pressure, ventilated cabinet of gas-tight
						  construction. Operations within the Class III cabinet are conducted through
						  attached protective gloves. Supply air is drawn into the cabinet through high
						  efficiency particulate air filters. Exhaust air is filtered by two high
						  efficiency particulate air filters placed in series or by high efficiency
						  particulate air filtration and incineration, and discharged to the outdoor
						  environment without re-circulation.
(5) Hazardous Substance. One which by reason
						of being explosive, flammable, poisonous, an irritant, or otherwise harmful is
						likely to cause injury or illness.
(6) High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA)
						filter. A filter capable of trapping and retaining at least 99.97 percent of
						all mono-dispersed particles 0.3 micrometers in diameter.