Spill Inside the Biosafety Cabinet

Leave the BSC turned on.

Person working in the BSC at the time of the spill should remove contaminated gloves, lab coat and sleeve covers if in use and dispose of them in the biohazardous waste container.

New Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) including a lab coat, gloves and sleeve covers, if needed, should be donned prior to placing arms and hands inside the cabinet.

Spray/wipe cabinet walls, work surfaces and equipment located in the BSC with an approved disinfectant. Large volumes of liquid should be covered with absorbent material then disinfectant should be poured over the spill, being careful to not create splashes. Allow the disinfectant to stand for 20-30 minutes (or longer if indicated based on the agent in use).

Soak up disinfectant/spill with paper towels or other absorbent material and dispose of in the biohazardous waste container.

All disposable material should be removed from the cabinet and placed into the biohazardous waste container.

Reusable material should be wiped down and either autoclaved or thoroughly chemically disinfected prior to reuse.

If material is spilled into a drain pan, be sure that disinfectant is poured into the pan and allowed to sit for a 20-30 minute contact time. This liquid should then be poured into a container and placed into the Satellite Accumulation Area in the lab for pick up and disposal as hazardous chemical waste.

Clean up person should remove PPE and dispose of into the biohazardous waste container.

Hands should be thoroughly washed and if clothes were contaminated, they should be changed prior to returning to regular work activities.

Notify the Biosafety Office at x63569 and the University Police at x66911 if the spilled material flowed into the interior of the BSC. Extensive hood decontamination may be necessary and the BSC should not be used until clean up is completed.

Document spill and response procedures.

If exposure occurred, please refer to the appropriate Exposure Response Plan for the biological agent. The plans can be accessed online at viceprovost.tufts.edu/ibc/exposure-response-plans/. If a plan does not exist for your biological agent, additional information can be found in the Biological Materials Registration Form, which provides agent-specific information and should be available to all lab personnel. All exposures should be reported to the supervisor and to the Biosafety Office at x63569. If the exposure is associated with a medical emergency, the University Police should also be notified at 617.627.6911 (x66911 from a campus phone).

Small Spill of BLS1 or BSL2 Material Outside of a BSC

Notify everyone in the lab that a biohazardous material spill has occurred and ask for assistance with the clean up.

If you are contaminated or potentially contaminated, do not leave the area. Ask a colleague to get PPE and the spill response kit for you. If you are not contaminated, obtain this material yourself and return to the spill area.

Put on PPE, including gloves, lab coat, disposable booties, and facial protection.

Cover spill with paper towels or other absorbent material.

Carefully pour disinfectant onto the spilled material and do not create any splashes.

Allow 20-30 minutes of contact time.

Discard cleanup material into a biohazardous waste container.

Use mechanical means to pick up broken glass.

Re-wipe area of spill with disinfectant and dispose of material into biohazardous waste container.

Remove PPE and dispose of into biohazardous waste container.

Hands should be thoroughly washed and if clothes were contaminated, they should be changed prior to returning to regular work activities.

Document spill and response procedures as outlined above.

If exposure occurred, report to the supervisor and to the Biosafety Office at x63569.

Large Spill of BSL1 and BSL2 Material Outside a BSC (>500 ml)

Follow same procedures as above for small spills of BSL1 and BSL2 material not in a BSC.

Human or Animal Blood

Follow same procedures as above for small spills of BSL1 and BSL2 material not in a BSC.

All Other Biohazardous Material

Follow same procedures as above for small spills of BSL1 and BSL2 material not in a BSC.

All non-essential people in the lab should be told to leave immediately.

The release or spill of biohazardous material will require a different response based on several factors, including the actual agent and the associated risks, the amount of material spilled, type of spill and the location of the spill. The following guidelines are to provide a quick reference to employees involved in a response to a biohazardous spill. Each lab working with biohazardous material should have their own specific spill response procedure. Where applicable, consult with your supervisor to be sure you have received the specialized training for your area.A spill or release inside a biosafety cabinet (BSC) does not pose a risk to others in the lab or to the environment. The BSC functions to contain the spill and protect people in the lab from exposure to the agent. The primary concern with a release or spill inside a BSC is to decontaminate material inside the BSC, including the person’s hands and arms, any equipment located in the BSC and the surface of the BSC itself.If agent involved in the spill is infectious via mucous membrane exposure or inhalation and the spill has resulted in the creation of aerosols, the lab should be evacuated for 30 minutes to allow the aerosols to settle.