ABSA CBSP case studies
ABSA CBSP · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Certified Biosafety Professional (CBSP) credential is a professional certification for people who manage or advise on the safe handling of biological agents in laboratories and related facilities. Candidates typically come from biosafety officer roles, research and clinical laboratory management, environmental health and safety, veterinary and animal-care facilities, and public health or diagnostic settings where risk assessment, containment, and regulatory compliance are part of the job. The ABSA CBSP case studies are 5 cases and about 3,417 words.
1The Retrofit That Outgrew Its Air Balance
A university converts a 1970s teaching lab (single-pass, 10 air changes per hour, supply-only with no exhaust fan) into a BSL-3 suite for culture of Mycobacterium tuberculosis . The design team proposes keeping the existing supply system, adding a dedicated exhaust fan with HEPA filtration, and maintaining negative pressure via a variable-air-volume (VAV) box that modulates exhaust to hold -0.03 in.
694 words, about 3 min2The Spill on the Open Bench
A technologist drops a 50-mL conical tube of Salmonella broth (approximately 10^8 CFU/mL) on an open bench in a BSL-2 lab. The tube shatters; roughly 40 mL spreads across a 1-m area, some splashing onto the technologist's forearms (no gloves or lab coat - she had stepped away from the bench and returned without re-donning PPE).
690 words, about 3 min3Autoclave Validation for a New Waste Stream
A BSL-2 research lab generates 15 kg/day of solid biohazardous waste (agar plates with E. coli and Pseudomonas , gloves, and plasticware) and 5 L/day of liquid waste (spent broth).
729 words, about 4 min4The BSL-3 Suit Leak on Day Three
A BSL-3 lab uses positive-pressure suit respirators for work with a Risk Group 3 virus. A new staff member, three days into solo work, reports that her suit's low-air alarm chirped twice during a 90-minute session and that she felt 'a little lightheaded' near the end.
660 words, about 3 min5Disinfection Selection for a Mixed Spill and Surface
A diagnostic lab processes respiratory specimens, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Burkholderia pseudomallei (Risk Group 3), on a benchtop that also handles routine Staphylococcus aureus . The lab currently uses 70% isopropyl alcohol for benchtop disinfection between batches and quaternary ammonium compounds (quats) for daily terminal cleaning.
644 words, about 3 min