Tecomak supplies biological safety cabinets for use in three key industry sectors – healthcare, research, and pharmaceutical and biotech facilities.

Here we take a look at the typical processes and materials in use in these four sectors, and the resulting requirements for different types of biosafety cabinet.

 

Healthcare

Areas within hospitals and other medical institutions where safety cabinets are needed include those where diagnostic tests are carried out, such as tissue biopsies which may be needed in oncology clinics. They are also required for labs where human tissue samples and blood are cultured and cultivated, and for IVF facilities, where embryos need to be protected from any potential contamination. Pathology labs are another area where protection is needed.

One key reason for using cabinets in medical facilities is to protect operators from pathogens, while the wider public also needs to be safeguarded from any exposure.

As well as protecting staff and other members of the public, another key priority is to avoid contamination of samples.

This is essential for accuracy and also to ensure patient safety wherever products are being administered to them or where samples are to be implanted back into a patient, for example in the case of skin and bone grafts.

The biological cabinets supplied by Tecomak which are best suited to the demands of hospitals include the S@feflow and S@femate ECO, Class II safety cabinets which are both manufactured by EuroClone. Both of these models fully comply with EN 12469 and combine high-level protection for operators, products and the environment with state-of-the-art features making them easy and efficient to operate.

For instance, the S@feflow’s key features include automatic UV light and sterilisation cycles, as well as an easy-to-read control panel and a series of inbuilt alarms and monitors. The S@femate offers reduced energy consumption, noise and heat and also has ergonomic design to further safeguard operators.

 

Research Labs and Universities

Many projects undertaken in research labs, including those within universities, involve handling human or animal tissue and blood samples. Experiments could also involve working with cytotoxic drugs and fine powders.

Operator protection and safeguarding of the wider public who may come into contact with substances being handled is therefore vital in many types of lab setting. Avoiding contamination of samples is also especially important in the case of scientific experiments, where repeatable results are required for credibility.

The S@feflow, S@femate and S@femate Cyto biological safety cabinets are all used in laboratories, with the most suitable model depending on the process and the type of substance being handled. For instance, the S@femate Cyto has a range of features to protect staff working with antineoplastics, also known as cytotoxic drugs. If you are in doubt over which type of cabinet would be best for your particular application, Tecomak can advise you.

 

Pharmaceutical and BioTech

Uses and processes where a biological safety cabinet is required include the testing of treatments on human and animal tissues, and production of biological products. Manipulation and processing of tissue, for instance in a DNA lab, creation of tissue cultures and extraction of samples for cultivation are all areas where protection will be needed.

Other types of work requiring measures to ensure biosafety could include vaccine production and preparations of medicines involving pharmaceutical powders. Cabinets may also be installed in areas where sterile compounding and product handling, including testing, packaging and quality control, are carried out.

While pathogens may be less of an issue overall in pharmaceutical labs than in medical facilities, a priority in these facilities is to avoid operator exposure to pharmaceutical powders or aerosols. The S@femate Cyto is ideal for handling small volumes of powders, because it is fitted with a HEPA filtered enclosure using a BIBO (bag in, bag out) system. This means the filter can be safely removed without any exposure of the lab to the powders it contains.

 

Biological Safety Cabinets from Tecomak

Tecomak supplies, installs and maintains a range of high quality biological safety cabinets by leading manufacturer EuroClone, as well as many other specialist clean air devices and fume cupboards.

Although this article provides an overall guide to the needs of different types of institution and facility, there can be much variation within a sector. Tecomak are experts who can give advice on the level of product or operator protection and the type of cabinet most suitable for your needs. As well as installing cabinets, we also provide a whole range of ventilation system services, including maintenance, monitoring and testing.

The Phileas Genius ® H202 generator, the smallest in the Phileas® range of autonomous units for disinfection of surfaces which we also supply, is suitable for decontamination of biosafety cabinets, as well as many other applications.

Biological Safety Cabinets – Click for information on the specialist product range available from Tecomak.

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