Are You Ready for Your Next Biosafety Inspection? Maintenance Matters

Whether you’re getting ready for your annual biosafety cabinet certification inspection or not, it’s always a good idea to make sure that safety protocol is handled right, every day of the year. Routine maintenance helps to ensure that your lab equipment is safe and ready-to-use, wherever lab technicians need it. And it also means that you’re always prepared for inspections and always compliant with key regulations. Here’s what to know. 

The Connection Between Maintenance And Compliance

Put simply, routine maintenance is one of the most effective ways to prepare for a successful biosafety inspection. And if you’re regularly doing daily, weekly, monthly, and annual checks on your lab equipment, then you can rest assured that you’re nearly always compliant. Compliance with applicable regulations isn’t just something you cross off a list, either. Instead, when your lab is compliant with regulations set out by organizations like NSF/ANSI 49, CDC, OSHA, and even GMP or pharmaceutical guidelines, it means that you’re putting safety and welfare of staff first. 

It also gives your lab a good reputation, as a transparent and diligent facility. Keeping up with maintenance and compliance puts you in a good light and also offers valuable documentation should something ever go wrong–you can prove that you’ve done all you could to prevent it. There are myriad reasons to really focus on proper maintenance, and none to ignore it. That’s especially true when it comes to biosafety cabinet certification.

When you keep on top of regular maintenance checks, you can identify issues early, before they become major hazards. Common problems like airflow irregularities, damaged seals, alarm malfunctions or deferred repairs can end up becoming inspection failures if ignored. But there are plenty of positives to focus on as well. If you regularly address these issues and prevent major mishaps, benefits include:

• Improved Reliability
• Reduced Downtime
• Easier Compliance
• Longer Equipment Life
• Better Inspection Readiness

What Is A Biosafety Inspection?

Also called a biosafety cabinet certification, this inspection happens on a predictable annual schedule, but can also be necessary any time repairs are made, filters are replaced, or the cabinet is relocated. When performing a biosafety cabinet certification, technicians will assess key components of your biosafety cabinet, such as airflow, containment, filtration, cabinet integrity, and a thorough function check. They will also ensure that the site and positioning are appropriate for your specific unit. The laboratory environment is also often evaluated for cleanliness, decontamination practices, workflow practices, and equipment condition. Documentation records from previous certifications, everyday maintenance logs, standard operating procedures, and the unit’s service history may also be requested. This is a comprehensive check-up for your lab equipment.

A biosafety cabinet that passes certification includes documentation for your lab as proof of compliance. If the inspection finds any issues, they will need to be addressed and then once repaired, the biosafety cabinet certification will be done again. Inspections need to be handled by a technician who has become an accredited field certifier following a written and practical test as administered by NSF, like the team at DigeLab. 

Now that you know what’s at stake and what a biosafety inspection involves, it’s time to ensure that every aspect of your lab equipment is in good working order. If you’re dealing with blocked air grilles, damaged sashes, work gaskets or seals, or inaccurate airflow readings, these are no small matter to an inspector. These are things to adjust or fix right away. The pro team at DigeLab Solutions can offer pointers to help you remedy the situation or handle repairs for you. Then they can recertify your equipment once it is up to standard.

Trust DigeLab For Biosafety Cabinet Certification

If you’re coming up on your yearly, scheduled certification, you want to ensure that your biosafety inspection goes well. Other than taking preventive measures and doing regular maintenance checks, you’ll also want to ensure that you’re working with professional, certified technicians, like the team you’ll find at DigeLab Solutions. Our compliance expertise means that you can trust our final word. And our preventive maintenance programs help to keep your environment up to standard. We send timely courtesy reminders of when service or certification is due. Our thorough inspection reports mean that you’ll never be left wondering, and always have actionable suggestions to take away. 

Successful inspections don't start the week before an audit–they start with consistent maintenance throughout the year. Take the time and be proactive. Contact DigeLab today and schedule your next biosafety cabinet certification today.