ABSL-3 Laboratory Design Standards

The University of California (UC) is home to some of the world’s most advanced and pioneering biomedical science and clinical research. Consistently ranked among the leaders in the field of Infectious Disease research, the UC is often called upon to provide critical expertise in response to worldwide public health crises. Infectious Disease research involving highly pathogenic and primarily aerosol transmissible agents (i.e., Risk Group 3 agents) has the potential to present significant risk to individuals, the community, and the environment. The ability to safely conduct these research activities is largely dependent upon the highly engineered Biosafety Level 3 (ABSL-3) laboratory, the highest-level containment facilities currently operated by the UC. The primary objective of these laboratories is to provide the best possible physical containment of Risk Group 3 agents. Hence, the design and engineering of these laboratories must be maintained at the highest attainable standards.

Several authorities have published standards for the design of ABSL-3 laboratories. Development of the UC Biosafety Level 3 Design Standards has incorporated input from several of these sources, including the following:

  • CDC Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL), 6th Edition, 2020
  • NIH Design Requirements Manual for Biomedical Laboratories and Animal Research Facilities (DRM), 2019
  • NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules (NIH Guidelines), 2016
  • National Institutes of Health Biosafety Level 3 Laboratory Certification Requirements, 2006
  • Industry Standards and Best Practices

The information presented in these Standards addresses facility design and engineering systems for ABSL-3 containment laboratories and incorporates additional design elements to assist campuses in conducting facility risk assessments. It is important to note that an effective ABSL-3 program is not only reliant upon the facility and engineering, but also operation and maintenance (O&M) protocols, robust training programs, administrative controls, and standard operating procedures (SOPs).