MSS Containment Laboratory Installation

General laboratories require HVAC (heating ventilation and cooling) to keep the personnel comfortable as they carry out their work. Any protection of personnel is usually dealt with by the inclusion of safety cabinets where the more critical work is carried out. The safety cabinets can be either exhaust or recirculation type depending on the nature of work.

Containment Laboratories meeting demanding requirements (such as ACDP CL1 – CL4), need to be designed and operated to meet the stringent requirements of the Home Office and the Health and Safety Executive.

The principle requirement of containment laboratories is to protect the outside environment and personnel from the specific pathogens being used within. Therefore the laboratory must be maintained at a negative air pressure to the surrounding atmosphere.

This will be achieved by designing & engineering controls that provide a continuous inward airflow to the laboratory by either extracting the laboratory air through independent ducting and HEPA filters; or ducting the exhaust air from the microbiological safety cabinets and through HEPA filters to the outside.

A combination can be utilised to provide the required result of a negative pressure room.

The HVAC supply and extract systems should be interlocked to prevent positive pressurisation of the room in the event of failure of the extract fan, and must incorporate a means of preventing reverse air flow.

The high containment laboratories will require separating from other laboratories by means of an Air lock.

The high containment laboratory construction must be robust and fully sealable to permit disinfection by fumigation in the event of spillage or the need for maintenance.