GRC has experience in contamination control gained from a
variety of suite designs.
Most suites need to incorporate laboratory facilities whilst
ensuring pathogenic containment is achieved.
GRC engineers have experience in incorporating:
- Full laboratory environment
-
HVAC systems
- Air showers
- Microbiological safety cabinets
- Effluent systems
- Building management systems (BMS)
- Change area and cleaning facilities
Containment Level 1
CL1 facilities require no special features beyond those
incorporated in a professionally designed laboratory environment.
Biological safety cabinets are not required and work can be done on
an open bench.
Containment Level 2
These facilities involve work on moderately hazardous agents. The
pathogens are not normally transmissible via airborne particulates
but care should be taken to avoid aerosols and splashes. Biological
safety cabinets and sealed centrifuges should be used to minimised
contamination and autoclaves are often used to sterilise equipment
and instruments. Viral agents including herpesviruses,
paramyxoviruses, and adenovirus are examples requiring CL2
facilities.
Containment Level 3
CL3 facilities are used in diagnostic, research, clinical, teaching
and production laboratories. Often, agents are transmissible via
air pathways and are virulent substances, causing potentially life
threatening illness in small doses.
Respiratory protection, airlocks, HEPA filters and controlled
access are often incorporated into CL3 facilities. Waste materials
should be incinerated and fumigation and decontamination procedures
should be put in place after each campaign. Viral agents that
require these facilities include HIV, HBV, Yellow fever and Rabies,
in addition to TSE agents.
Containment Level 4
This represents the maximum containment facility level available
and is necessary when manipulating dangerous or exotic agents that
pose high individual risk eg Lassa, Muerto canyon, Machupo, Ebola,
Smallpox and Kyasanur forest. Agents are usually highly
transmissible via aerosol and/or percutaneous routes and can cause
fatal illness with low dosage-many agents having no vaccine or
treatment available.
The facility itself operates in a negative environment and is
totally self-contained so it can be completely sealed off.
Operators in this area must be isolated from the pathogen by
positive pressure suits or by Class III safety cabinets (Class II
cabinets can be used in conjunction with a positive pressure suit).
All liquid wastes are required to be contained and treated before
release into a dedicated holding area and solid waste must be
bagged and autoclaved at source before going for incineration.
