Containment / Containment Levels
This course presents information about the foundational biosafety elements (good microbiological laboratory practices) required for handling biological materials, including infections material or toxins, safety in laboratory and animal work environments. These basic elements are required for and built upon for higher containment zones.
This course is intended for people working in laboratories / laboratory personnel, those involved in designing or managing containment facilities, biosafety professionals, or those with an interest in biosafety.
After completing this course, learners will be able to:
- Given a description of general laboratory safety practices, identify correct and incorrect safety practices.
- Given a description of the type of work to be undertaken, identify the required personal protective equipment.
This course will take approximately 30-45 minutes to complete.
Course updated in March 2017.
This course describes the general recommendations for basic laboratory design and safe handling of Risk Group 1 (RG1) biological material in a Containment Level 1 (CL1) laboratory. CL1 design and practices provide the foundation for all containment laboratories to limit exposure of personnel and the environment to the biological material handled within a facility.
This course is intended for those who:
- Oversee biosafety programs (e.g., Biological Safety Officer, alternate biosafety contact or other facility personnel)
- Manage or work in a CL1 laboratory (e.g., managers, principal investigator and technicians)
- Conduct Do It Yourself (DIY) work (e.g., individuals working with RG1 material outside of a traditional CL1 laboratory).
After completing this course, learners will be able to:
- Define the key aspects of the Containment Level 1: Physical Design and Operational Practices guideline
- Explain the key physical design features of a CL1 facility
- Explain the key operational practices of a CL1 facility
Timeline: This course will take 60-75 minutes to complete.
Last Updated: March 2023
The information presented in this course is specific to containment level 2 (CL2) zones. Before taking this course, users should first complete the course which covers General Safety Practices that apply to all containment laboratories.
This course is intended for people working in laboratories / laboratory personnel, those involved in designing or managing containment facilities, biosafety professionals, or those with an interest in biosafety.
After completing this course, learners will be able to:
- recognize the key physical requirements of a CL2 laboratory
- identify operational practices required for a CL2 laboratory
This course will take approximately 30-45 minutes to complete.
Course updated in March 2023.
The information presented in this course is specific to containment level 3 (CL3) zones. Before taking this course, users should first complete the course which covers General Safety Practices that apply to all containment laboratories as well as the course which covers Operational Practices for containment level 2 (CL2).
This course is intended for people working in laboratories / laboratory personnel, those involved in designing or managing containment facilities, biosafety professionals, or those with an interest in biosafety.
After completing this course, learners will be able to:
- recognize the key physical requirements of a CL3 laboratory
- identify additional operational practices required for a CL3 laboratory
This course will take approximately 30-45 minutes to complete.
Course updated in March 2023.
This biocontainment interactive tool will help you develop an awareness of biocontainment and how containment measures ensure the safety of lab and community environments. You will become familiar with the various biosafety components and requirements of containment labs and have the opportunity to build your own containment laboratory!
This course is intended for people working in laboratories / laboratory personnel, those involved in designing or managing containment facilities, biosafety professionals, or those with an interest in biosafety.
After completing this course, learners will be able to:
• Define the key terms related to biocontainment
• Identify the various biosafety components and requirements of containment laboratories
• Build a virtual containment laboratory for a selected pathogen based on its risk group and containment level
• Identify activities and items that pose a risk in the laboratory
This activity will take approximately 60-75 minutes to complete.