Autoclave containment facility

All reuseable clothing worn in research laboratories can be laundered in the conventional manner if it is not overtly contaminated. Reusable clothing from containment facilities should be placed in a closed container and sterilized before laundering. Any clothing, including articles from research laboratories, that may have been overtly contaminated should be soaked with a disinfectant and autoclaved immediately. 

Disposable clothing that has been used with nonhazardous agents should be discarded into a closed container with other noncontami-nated laboratory waste materials and discarded. Disposable clothing that has been used with biohazardous agents or in the containment facility should be placed in a closed container and subsequently autoclaved prior to being discarded (see Chapter 7 for further information on waste disposal). Again, if it has been overtly contaminated, it should be soaked with a disinfectant and autoclaved immediately. 

As in the basic facility, an autoclave is necessary if research involves infectious agents. The autoclave need not be located in the laboratory or in the partial containment facility, but must be located within the building. If contaminated materials must be transported outside the controlled area for autoclaving, appropriate precautions must be taken to avoid release of hazardous agents. 

Disposable labware, such as pipettes, should be autoclaved and placed in biohazard containers. Non-disposable labware should be retained in the facility until it has been decontaminated. 

All cultures, stocks, and contaminated wastes must be decontaminated before disposal by an approved method, such as autoclaving. Materials to be decontaminated outside of the laboratory must be placed in a durable, leakproof container and closed for transport from the laboratory. Materials to be decontaminated offsite must be packaged in accordance with any regulations applicable to transport of infectious materials before removal from the facility. 

Supplies and materials needed in the Biosafety/Laboratory Containment Level 4 facility are brought in by way of a double-doored autoclave, fumigation chamber, or airlock, which is appropriately decontaminated between each use. After securing the outer door, personnel within the facility retrieve the materials by opening the inner door, which is secured after materials are brought into the facility. 

No materials, except for biological materials that are to remain in a viable or intact state, are removed from the Biosafety/Laboratory Containment Level 4 laboratory unless they have been autoclaved or decontaminated before they leave the facility. Equipment or material that might be damaged by high temperature or steam may be decontaminated by gaseous vapor methods in an airlock or chamber designed for this purpose. Any drains in the floors contain traps filled with chemical disinfectant sewer vents and other ventilation lines contain HEPA filters. 

Small unit volumes of effluent (up to 50 litres) can be treated in a steam autoclave, provided that adequate measures are taken to transfer the material in a safe and contained manner to the autoclave chamber. A Class III cabinet line or contained suite in which the work is performed, and to which the autoclave chamber has direct access provides excellent containment security, but is not conducive to the processing of more than a few litres at a time. Transport of liquid in a leak-proof secondary container permits larger volumes to be handled, but consideration must be given to the logistical problems associated with the transport, especially if the autoclave is situated in a relatively remote location, or is inside another suite. If the autoclave has one door only, procedures must be adopted to ensure that contaminated and safe materials are not mixed. Double door autoclaves permit the uni-directional flow of waste out of the facility, and in the UK are recommended or mandatory for the higher categories of containment. " ... 

The HIV and HBV research laboratories and production facilities must follow standard microbiological practices and specify additional practices intended to minimize exposures accessible to employees woridng with concentrated viruses. These practices also reduce the risk of accidental exposure for other employees at the facility. In turn, these facilities must include required containment equipment and an autoclave for decontamination of regulated waste, and they must be consteucted to limit risks and enable easy clean-up. Additional training and experience are required of workers in these ladlities. 

The radiation facility consisted of a double-walled aluminum tube 7/8 in. in inside diameter which extended from the top of the LITR through approximately 20 ft of water into the reactor core. The autoclave was lowered into this tube on a bundle of wires containing the electrical leads,... 

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