This introductory course is a four-day training designed to certify personnel for safe entry into an operational BSL-3 laboratory. This course consists of a mixture of classroom and practical training that includes an introduction to microbiology, biosafety, risk assessment concept, BSL-3 lab characteristics, emergency management and personal protective equipment (PPE) use including procedures for donning and doffing PPE with N95 or various PAPR respirators.

This course is suitable for O&M personnel and other non-research staff who may need to enter BSL-3 facilities to perform maintenance or make repairs. The ANSI/ASSE Z9.14 Standard focuses on performance verification of engineering controls specifically related to the ventilation system features of BSL-3/ABSL-3 facilities. Z9.14 is the only guidance document that provides a methodology to verify ventilation systems in such facilities. The standard provides a risk-based approach to reaching containment goals appropriate to the risk of the agent and the laboratory activity. This course will provide a complete overview of the standard as well as provide practical hands-on training on how to assemble the team, perform the test methodology, and determine the suitability of example BSL-3/ABSL-3 facilities based on risk assessment.

Held at our UCI National BSL-3 Training Lab with full testing functionality and equipment, this course is suitable for BSL-3 laboratory managers, biosafety professionals, facilities managers, architects, engineers and commissioning agents.