Safety Cabinet Maintenance and Certification

The installation, certification, decontamination and maintenance of BSCs must be performed by certified professionals who can demonstrate accreditation by the National Sanitation Foundation.
Cabinets must be certified by NSF accredited individuals:
  • upon installation
  • after relocation
If a cabinet is in need of troubleshooting or repairs, ask your departmental safety manager for the name and contact information of the certification firm that has been contracted to maintain BSCs in your department.   Princeton University maintenance and janitorial staff should not be asked to conduct any type of service on a biosafety cabinet.
If a cabinet has been used for research involving potentially infectious agents or human-sourced material, it must be decontaminated by an NSF accredited professional  prior to repairs,  relocation or disposal.
To prepare your BSC for maintenance, certification or repair:
  • Empty the BSC of all items.  The cabinet must be completely cleared of any equipment, pipettes, waste, liquids and tubing.
  • Decontaminate the surfaces of the BSC with an appropriate disinfectant, such as a 10% bleach solution followed by 70% ethanol solution.
  • If you have scheduled a specific time for the maintenance to be performed, a lab member should be available to meet with the certification technician.

Staff

Meagan Fitzpatrick
Biosafety Officer
609-258-6258

Halina Staniszewska,
Sr. Lab Safety Specialist