o. The Biosafety Level 3 facility design and operational procedures must be documented.
The facility must be tested for verification that the design and operational parameters
have been met prior to operation. Facilities should be re-verified, at least annually,
against these procedures as modified by operational experience.
p. Additional environmental protection (e.g. personnel showers, HEPA filtration of exhaust
air, containment of other piped services and the provision of effluent decontamination)
should be considered, if recommended by the agent summary statement, as determined
by risk assessment, the site conditions, or other applicable federal, state, or local
regulations.
1. Minimum air changes per hour for laboratory shall be 12.
2. Biological Safety Cabinet hood exhaust shall be on emergency power.
3. Although CDC/NIH in paragraph 2.j above allows re-circulation of air from Class II cabinets or use of
building exhaust system, VA criteria requires an independent dedicated exhaust system for each
Class II and Class III hood.
4. Hood exhaust ducts shall not be housed in the same shaft carrying environmental supply, return or
other non-hazardous exhaust ducts from the building.
5. Run Biological safety cabinet exhaust fans continuously.
6. Access FM Technical Information Library (TIL) at http://www.va.gov/facmgt/standard for design
manuals and master specifications.
Previous Design Alert FM-187C-DA 49 dated June 3, 1997 is rescinded.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Contact Satish Sehgal at 202-565-5032, Facilities Quality Service (181A).
15 September 2004
FM-181A-DA-121
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