Basic Documentation

Page 4 of 10 Siemens Industry, Inc.
Document No. 149-997
20. A facility monitoring and control system should
annu
nciate and automatically summon an
appropriate response to emergencies such as a
fire, hazardous spill, injury, and the activation of
a room emergency shower or eyewash station.
A first-aid area or a room suitably equipped and
readily accessible for immediate treatment
should be in proximity to the laboratory suite.
21. Laboratory security should be maintained with
adequate room access controls and intrusion
detection systems. CCTV monitoring of
laboratory room interiors is usually prudent.
22. Laboratory rooms should have a telephone or
intercom for communication between the
laboratory room and outside locations. (Personal
cell phones and portable computers should not
be brought in and out of the laboratory room
since there is no practical way to ensure
adequate decontamination of such devices
before removing them from the room.) An
adequate number of clocks should be in the
laboratory suite and individual rooms so that
wristwatches are not needed.
23. Means of transferring data from the interior of
laboratory rooms (FAX, e-mail, electronic media,
etc.) is highly recommended in lieu of physically
transporting paperwork, record books, etc.
24. Before occupancy, BSL-3 laboratories must be
tested and certified to ensure that all systems
function properly and required room
pressurization is attained.
Biological Laboratory Layout
As stated, biological laboratories are usually
comprised of suites of several rooms based upon
the laboratory’s purpose and the support services
required. There may be no typical BSL-3 laboratory
suite. Each one is designed according to specific
requirements and constraints. The following
discussion uses a fictitious BSL-3 suite to illustrate
some desirable design features. This layout is more
elaborate than many actual BSL-3 labs.
The suite consists of multiple laboratory rooms along
with additional rooms for refrigerated storage,
specimen reception, incubation, sterilization, supply
storage, and many other purposes.
Before entering the laboratory room or suite,
provision must be made for the workers to enter,
change clothes, and put on protective outer
garments (gown-up). Upon departing, the workers
must have provision to remove outer garments (de-
gown), shower,
8
and put on their regular clothes.
BSL-3 laboratory suites should be equipped with
their own washrooms to minimize the necessity for
workers to leave the laboratory area. Individual BSL-
3 laboratory facility configurations will differ based
upon an evaluation of the specific needs of the
facility and a risk evaluation.
Figure 1 shows the overall suite layout and Figure 2
sho
ws the normal entry and exit path for laboratory
workers. The suite in Figure 1 has separate men’s
and women’
s entry and exit provisions including
locker rooms, gowning, de-gowning rooms, and
washrooms. Shower rooms are also present.
For safety reasons, a separate SPECIMEN ENTRY
is provided to enable biological agents to be brought
into the laboratory apart from the worker entry areas.
Specimens must be brought into the laboratory in
sealed protective containers and deposited in the
SPECIMEN ENTRY area. The specimens are then
retrieved from the SPECIMEN ENTRY room by
trained and knowledgeable laboratory workers.
Specimens are normally placed in a biological safety
cabinet before being removed from their protective
container.
After biological agents have been subjected to the
intended research process and are no longer
needed, they are put into another protective
container and taken to the AUTOCLAVE ROOM
where they are decontaminated. The
decontaminated waste is removed from the
AUTOCLAVE through a separate outlet in the
adjoining room and properly disposed. Laboratory
supplies and other non-biological items can be
brought to the laboratories via the service corridor.
This corridor can also be used as an emergency exit
for the laboratory workers in case the NORMAL
ENTRY/EXIT is not usable or accessible.
The laboratory suite has the necessary SUPPORT
ROOMS. Depending upon the nature of the work
being done, multiple support rooms might be needed
especially when laboratory animals are used.
Although the room ventilation systems that serve the
laboratory suite need not be in a location that is
separated from the systems serving non-laboratory
areas, a separate MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT
ROOM for the laboratory suite is shown. This
provides greater operational security and helps to
8. Shower provisions are not specifically required in all
instances. The inclusion of a shower provision is typically
based upon a risk assessment of the specific laboratory
hazard. Normally showers would be required when the lab
work involves larger animals.