Family Medicine & Medical Science Research
Open Access

Biocontainment

Biocontainment is a component of biorisk management. The overall objective of biocontainment is to confine an infectious organism or toxin, thereby reducing the potential for exposure to laboratory workers or persons outside the laboratory, and the likelihood of accidental release to the environment. Physical containment is achieved through the use of laboratory practices, containment equipment, personal protective equipment, and laboratory and facility design.The Federal Experts Security Advisory Panel has developed a Best Practices Checklist​ to guide Federal departments and agencies through a comprehensive set of questions that should be considered while planning and building a high-containment laboratory. Other institutions may also use this checklist as a way to ensure that they are aware of all possible elements of biocontainment.