Biosafety

Publications and Forms

CDC’s Office of Safety, Health, and Environment and the National Institutes of Health periodically publish and update several national publications on Biosafety: Biosafety in Microbiological and Medical Laboratories (BMBL) and Primary Containment for Biohazards: Selection, Installation, and Use of Biosafety Cabinets. The 5th and 3rd editions of these publications (respectively) are considered national guidelines to promote the safety and health of workers in biological and medical laboratories. Both may be downloaded free in electronic form (below). The BMBL 5th Edition is available for US $38 via the Government Printing Office (GPO) Bookstore. On the GPO Bookstore site, go to the Search box at top right corner of home page, near shopping cart icon. Enter “biosafety” in Search box, hit Enter, and you will be directed to a new page where you can order the BMBL.

Also available below are forms for biosafety institutional use: a biological risk assessment template and a customizable Medical Card template which may be used by laboratorians to alert medical personnel of potential exposures.

Publications

Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories

This link allows you to view online or print a text-identical, electronic version of Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL) 5th edition (containing website updates and edits to Foreword, Contributors, Contents, Appendices, and Acronyms sections). The BMBL 5th Edition (December 2009) is also available for US $38 via the Government Printing Office (GPO).

Primary Containment for Biohazards: Selection, Installation, and Use of Biosafety Cabinets [PDF - 1.5 MB]

This document is currently printed as Appendix A of the Biosafety in Microbiological and Medical Laboratories (BMBL); it will be made available as a separate publication for purchase via the GPO website in the future. This web page will be updated when the independent publication becomes available.

Forms

Primary Containment for Biohazards: Selection, Installation, and Use of Biosafety Cabinets

Biological Risk Assessment [PDF - 145 KB]

This is the generic template for a Biological Risk Assessment Worksheet. Use this worksheet to develop a Risk Assessment Tool that suits your institution’s needs and requirements.