ABSA CBSP study guide
ABSA CBSP · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
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 study guide has 8 sections and about 2,318 words.
01Biological Risk Assessment and Risk Management
Risk assessment is the foundation on which every other biosafety decision rests. A candidate must be able to walk through the core steps: identify the agent and its inherent hazards (pathogenicity, infectious dose, route of transmission, availability of treatment or vaccine, environmental stability, host range), characterize the activity (volume, concentration, aerosol potential, procedures such as centrifugation, pipetting, and animal work), and then assign a risk group and a corresponding biosafety level.
337 words, about 2 min02Containment Principles, Facility Design, and Engineering Controls
Containment has two arms: primary containment protects the worker and the immediate environment (biosafety cabinets, sealed centrifuge rotors, gloveboxes, HEPA-filtered exhaust), while secondary containment protects the outside environment (facility layout, airlocks, directional airflow, waste treatment, autoclaves). A candidate should be fluent in the four BSL tiers and what distinguishes them - BSL-1 needs handwashing and basic signage; BSL-2 adds restricted access, autoclave availability, and biosafety cabinets for aerosol-generating work; BSL-3 adds controlled access, directional inward airflow, self-closing doors, sealed penetrations, and HEPA filtration of exhaust; BSL-4 adds positive-pressure suits or class III cabinets and full waste/effluent decontamination.
280 words, about 1 min03Biosafety Practices, Procedures, and Administrative Controls
Administrative controls are the written and behavioral layer that makes containment work: standard operating procedures, access control, signage, training records, incident reporting, and good microbiological technique. Candidates should know the core safe practices - no eating, drinking, or mouth pipetting in the lab; handwashing before leaving; keeping doors closed; decontaminating work surfaces before and after work; and using mechanical pipetting devices.
301 words, about 2 min04Personal Protective Equipment and Personnel Safety
PPE is the last line of defense - it protects the individual but does not reduce the hazard at the source. Candidates must know the standard PPE set for BSL-2 (gloves, lab coat or gown, eye/face protection as needed) and BSL-3 (solid-front gowns, dedicated footwear, respiratory protection when indicated, and full coverage).
308 words, about 2 min05Decontamination, Disinfection, and Sterilization
These three terms are not interchangeable, and questions test the distinction. Decontamination reduces or removes contaminants so items are safe to handle; disinfection kills most pathogenic microorganisms on inanimate surfaces but not necessarily spores; sterilization destroys all microbial life, including spores.
267 words, about 1 min06Biological Waste Management
Biological waste management connects containment to the outside world. Candidates should know the waste categories - sharps , infectious/clinical waste , anatomical/pathological waste , animal waste , and non-infectious general waste - and that segregation at the point of generation is the controlling principle.
277 words, about 1 min07Regulations, Standards, and Guidelines
Biosafety operates within a layered framework of guidelines (advisory, e.g., the WHO Laboratory Biosafety Manual and national biosafety manuals), standards (consensus or accreditation requirements), and regulations (legally enforceable, e.g., select agent rules, bloodborne pathogen standards, transport regulations). Candidates must distinguish these: a guideline recommends, a regulation requires.
277 words, about 1 min08Biosafety Program Management and Training
A biosafety program is a management system, not a binder. Candidates should understand the components: a designated biosafety officer or responsible official, an institutional biosafety committee , written policies and SOPs, risk assessments for each project, training and competency programs, medical surveillance , incident reporting and investigation , audits and inspections , and inventory/records management.
271 words, about 1 min