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ACDP CL2 Laboratories

Containment Level 2 is suitable for work with agents in Hazard Group 2. Laboratory personnel must receive suitable and sufficient information, instruction and training in working safely with agents in Hazard Group 2. A high standard of supervision of the work should be maintained.

1. Access to the laboratory is to be restricted to authorised persons.
2. There must be specified disinfection procedures.
3. If the laboratory is mechanically ventilated, it must be maintained at an air pressure negative to atmosphere while work is in progress (see paragraph 17 below).
4. Bench surfaces must be impervious to water, easy to clean and resistant to acids, alkalis, solvents and disinfectants.
5. There must be safe storage of biological agents.
6. Laboratory procedures that give rise to infectious aerosols must be conducted in a microbiological safety cabinet, isolator or be otherwise suitably contained.
7. There must be access to an incinerator for the disposal of infected animal carcasses (see paragraph 24).
8. Personal protective equipment, including protective clothing, must be:
   (a) stored in a well-defined place;
   (b) checked and cleaned at suitable intervals;
   (c) when discovered to be defective, repaired or replaced before further use.
9. Personal protective equipment which may be contaminated by biological agents must be:
   (a) removed on leaving the working area;
   (b) kept apart from uncontaminated clothing;
   (c) decontaminated and cleaned or, if necessary, destroyed.
10. There should be adequate space (24m³) in the laboratory for each worker.
11. The laboratory door should be closed when work is in progress.
12. Laboratory coats or gowns, which should be side or back fastening, should be worn and removed when leaving the laboratory suite. Separate storage (for example, pegs) apart from that provided for personal clothing should be provided in the laboratory suite.
13. Eating, chewing, drinking, smoking, taking medication, storing food and application of cosmetics in the laboratory should be forbidden.
14. Mouth pipetting should be forbidden.
15. Bench surfaces should be regularly decontaminated according to the pattern of the work.
16. When undertaking procedures that are likely to give rise to infectious aerosols, a Class I microbiological safety cabinet (BS 5726: 1992 or unit with equivalent protection factor or performance) should be used. Some other types of equipment may provide adequate containment in their own right but this should be verified.
17. In most laboratories operating at Containment Level 2 where there is mechanical ventilation simply to provide a comfortable working environment, it may not be practical to maintain an effective inward flow of air. The often constant traffic in and out of Containment Level 2 rooms may interfere significantly with attempts to establish satisfactory airflow patterns. However, where a laboratory is ventilated specifically to contain airborne pathogens in the event of an accident, then engineering controls and working arrangements must be devised so as to counter the risk of airborne transmission to other areas. Maintaining an inward flow of air is necessary only when work is progress. "Atmosphere" in this context (see paragraph 3) may be taken to mean either the external air and/or other parts of the laboratory suite or building.
18. The laboratory should contain a wash basin located near the laboratory exit. Taps should be of a type that can be operated without being touched by hand.
19. Hands should be decontaminated immediately when contamination is suspected, after handling infective materials and before leaving the laboratory. When gloves are worn, these should be washed or preferably changed before handling items likely to be touched by others not wearing gloves, for example telephone, paperwork. Computer keyboards and, where practicable, equipment controls should be protected by a removable flexible cover that can be disinfected.
20. An autoclave for the sterilisation of waste materials should be readily accessible in the same building as the laboratory, preferably in the laboratory suite.
21. Materials for autoclaving should be transported to the autoclave in robust containers without spillage.
22. There should be a means for the safe collection, storage and disposal or contaminated waste.
23. Contaminated waste should be suitably labelled before removal for incineration.
24. "Access to an incinerator" - see paragraph 7 above, may be taken to mean an incinerator at another site but whether local or distant, carcasses for incineration must be transported in secure containers.
25. Used laboratory glassware and other materials awaiting sterilisation before recycling should be stored in a safe manner. Pipettes, if placed in disinfectant, should be totally immersed.
26. All accidents and incidents should be immediately reported to and recorded by the person responsible for the work or other delegated person.

[Source: abstracted from Categorisation of biological agents according to hazard and categories of containment, ACDP. 4th ed, 1995. (Note- this document has been superseded by: The management, design and operation of microbiological containment laboratories. ACDP. 2001.)]