Biosafety Level 1 applies when working with biological agents, which pose a minimal risk/ threat to laboratory personnel and the environment. Work with these types of agents are generally performed in open laboratory cabinets without the use of special containment equipment. Biosafety Level 2 covers working with pathogenic or infectious organisms posing a moderate hazard. Examples include Salmonellae, Hepatitis B virus and Measles virus. Biosafety Level 3 applies when working with indigenous or exotic agents, which may cause serious or lethal disease via aerosol transmission. Examples include Yellow Fever and Encephalitis. In Biosafety Level 4, applies when working with extremely dangerous, contagious and life-threatening agents. Maximum containment and protection is required at all times. Examples include Ebola, the Lassa virus and any sample with unknown risks of pathogenicity and transmission.

The Class 2 Biological Safety cabinet must meet the requirements for personnel, environmental and product protection. The air-flow is drawn into the work chamber via the front aperture and continues under the worktop and goes up the back plenum, where 70 % is being recirculated through the main HEPA filter to provide down flow and 30 % exits out through the HEPA filter to exhaust. The vertical laminar flow Biological Safety Cabinet provides operator protection by means of inflow, product protection by means of down flow and environmental protection by means of the filtered exhaust. The Biological Safety Cabinet is equipped with dual HEPA filters according to the European standard EN 12469 and can be certified as per the standard by TüV. It can also be manufactured with triple filters according to DIN 12980. The triple HEPA filter system ensures the elimination of any possible cross contamination, as the air in the work chamber has to pass through two sets of main HEPA filters. This makes the triple filter cabinet the ideal choice of cabinet for working with hazardous materials such as cytostatics, virus manipulation and category 3 pathogens. The triple filter Biological Safety Cabinet is easier to service as no prior decontamination is needed.

A Class 3 Biological Safety Cabinet is an aerosol-tight enclosure with a non-opening, completely sealed, front window, so the operator is separated from their work by a physical barrier. The cabinet is also referred to as a” Glovebox”. Work is conducted via long heavy-duty rubber gloves attached to the ports in the front of the safety cabinet in a gas-tight manner. This allows access and work to be performed on your product within the cabinet without compromising containment. Removal of materials from the cabinet must be through a safety airlock transfer hatch or double door autoclave, which is located on the side of the chamber of the BSC for decontamination. Interlock or protocols must be used for the autoclave and pass-through doors to prevent both doors from being open at the same time. The cabinet is designed for work with high risk biological agents in Biosafety Level 4 laboratories, where maximum containment and protection are required. Examples include Ebola, the Lassa virus and any agent with unknown risks of pathogenicity and/or transmission. When the Biological Safety Cabinet Class III is installed in a Biosafety Level 4 Laboratory or facility, it offers an additional level of containment and safety for high risk working procedures.