The University has over 950 active biosafety cabinets (BSCs), and about 150 have become obsolete due to safer design standards and the challenge of obtaining replacement parts. EH&S recommends replacing obsolete cabinets before they fail to minimize disruptions to research projects.
The following resources are available to assist with the purchase and replacement of BSCs:
- Alert: Replace Obsolete Biosafety Cabinets
- List of Approved Biosafety Cabinets
- Steps to Purchase, Replace, Relocate or Remove a Biosafety Cabinet
Researchers rely on biosafety cabinets as a direct control to the safety and sterility of their research. All biosafety cabinets are performance tested and maintained to manufacturer’s specifications annually by EH&S. Each biosafety cabinet must meet the NSF Standard 49 for Biological Safety Cabinet design, construction, performance, field certification and testing.
For additional information on biosafety cabinets, please see the Biological Safety Cabinets webpage or contact the Lab Safety Team at 206.685.3993 or labcheck@uw.edu.
