Saturday 3 October 2015

Choosing the Right Microbiological Safety Cabinets for Your Facility

Today's ever-expanding range of laboratory and industrial applications has seen a rise in demand for microbiological safety cabinets. They are used in sectors including clinical and pharmaceutical research, as well as commercial companies and healthcare. As more processes are developed involving use of cells or biological materials, the need for protection is growing.

If you are considering installing a biological safety cabinet, there are various key factors to consider before deciding which class and model is right for your lab. This will partly depend on the type of application, whether this involves developing a new drug, working with human fluids or tissues or IVF technology.

Tecomak is a supplier for EuroClone, a leading microbiological safety cabinets manufacturer, and can install quality equipment from its range within your facility, as well as providing expert maintenance and testing.

Safety Cabinet Services  Click here to contact Tecomak and find out more.

Type of Protection: There are various different types of protection you might need, depending on whether you just need to protect operators and safeguard the working environment, or also to give product protection. A Class 1 safety cabinet provides operator protection by a system of air filtration, while Class 2 also protects the working area. If a process needs to be completely enclosed because of highly biohazardous materials, in hazard group 4, a Class 3 safety cabinet can be used.

The 4 hazard groups, defined by the Health and Safety Executive, pose different levels of risk, with level 4 being the most hazardous. While both Class 1 MSC and Class 2 MSC are considered suitable for working with biological agents from hazard groups 1 to 3, in practice a Class 2 cafety cabinet is the most popular option for high-tech modern facilities, because of the advantage of the product protection it provides.

Tecomak supplies and installs high-quality Class 2 MSC including the S@feMate ECO and S@feFlow cabinets from leading manufacturer EuroClone, which both provide state-of-the-art protection with a whole range of class-leading features.

You may also need specialist types of cabinet for particular processes, such as working with cytotoxic drugs. Tecomak can install EuroClone's S@feMate Cyto Class II Safety Cabinet to give optimum protection in areas where these products, also known as antineoplastics, are used.  Meanwhile, IVF labs and clinics can benefit from installation of specialist cabinets from the innovative Embryos@fe i-REF Series, specifically designed for areas where assisted human reproduction technology is in use.

Safety and Reliability: As well as deciding which class of MSC you require, it is important to choose a manufacturer and an installer with a good track record. You need to be certain that products providing this type of protection are of top quality and comply with all relevant standards and regulations.

Tecomak's long track record shows that we are a firm which can be relied on for specialist laboratory services. The company has ISO 9001: 2008 accreditation, and has been in business for decades, with many testimonials from satisfied customers. All Tecomak engineers undergo constant training to ensure their knowledge is always up to date.

EuroClone also has a high reputation as a top manufacturer, having achieved ISO 13485 registration and including a whole range of safety features in their products. Five-year warranties when you buy the the S@feMate ECO and S@feFlow from Tecomak give additional peace of mind.

Environmental Friendliness: Green credentials are another key consideration when choosing biological safety cabinets. There is an increasing awareness that we all have a responsibility to the planet and need to minimise the carbon footprint of any processes, including those in labs. Cost considerations are a further reason for eco-awareness, since the operating costs of an inefficient cabinet are much higher than those of an energy-efficient model.

The environment is always a priority for EuroClone, with the S@feMate ECO incorporating the latest low energy fan units. This means a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions as well as reducing output of heat and so saving energy, in keeping with Tecomak's focus on environmental responsibility.

There are also many other key points to consider in choosing microbiological safety cabinets, such as ergonomics, productivity and how much space a cabinet will take within your facility. As experts in this field, Tecomak bears all these considerations in mind, and can give you advice on which model of cabinet will suit your requirements and how to configure it to your particular lab.

You can be sure that all the models we supply feature the latest technology and meet the most rigorous standards, ensuring full regulatory compliance for your sector. We can also provide expert maintenance and testing of equipment following installation.

Microbiological Safety Cabinets – Click to browse our product range and get in touch with us.