Biosafety and Biosecurity

What is Biosafety?

UW–Madison laboratories that work with pathogens adhere to strict procedures and safeguards to ensure the safety of workers, the community and the environment. Collectively, these principles and practices are known as biosafety. When properly followed, biosafety practices help prevent accidents that could pose risks to lab workers and others.

Laboratory facilities receive ratings based on their infrastructure and procedures. These ratings, known as Biosafety Levels, or BSLs, determine the minimum biosafety requirements for facilities based on the risk posed by the infectious material being studied.

In the U.S. there are four basic BSLs, ranging from BSL-1 to BSL-4, with BSL-4 being the highest biosafety level. At UW–Madison, the majority of labs conducting pathogen research work at BSL-2, with a smaller number working at BSL-3. There are no BSL-4 labs on the UW–Madison campus.

See biosafety level ratings

Six researchers wearing lab coats and protective masks gather around a computer workstation in a laboratory, discussing data displayed on a monitor.

Biosafety Laboratory Requirements

Training
Personal protective equipment (e.g., masks, gloves, safety glasses, lab coats, gowns, personal respirators)
Engineering controls (e.g., safety equipment including biosafety cabinets and HEPA filters)
Facility design, including barriers, ventilation and waste management
Standardized procedures for handling pathogens, chemicals and other dangerous materials.

What is Biosecurity?

Laboratories on the UW–Madison campus where pathogen research takes place must not only provide a safe environment for conducting research, but also be secure from threats posed by loss, theft or misuse of the infectious materials. Principles and procedures that help protect pathogens from misuse are referred to as biosecurity.

Biosecurity limits access to the facilities where pathogen research takes place, as well as to research materials and information. It complements biosafety practices to ensure the research can be conducted safely.

In addition to basic biosecurity principles, certain pathogen research requires additional security review. This includes research with federal Select Agent pathogens, as well as research that could be misapplied to pose a threat to public health, the food supply and/or national security (known as dual use research of concern, or DURC).

Learn about biosecurity regulatory requirements

View through a small rectangular window in a metal door shows an empty, well-lit hospital corridor with an illuminated exit sign and storage cabinets along the wall.

Biosecurity Requirements

Determining suitability of lab staff prior to authorizing work with certain materials
Establishing physical security of the facilities where pathogens are housed, as well as of sensitive experimental data and other documentation
Providing information security, including cybersecurity and protection of digital data
Working with law enforcement to conduct security risk assessments, or background checks, of staff working with certain high-risk materials or information.

Biosafety and Biosecurity in Action

A man wearing a mask stands in a laboratory next to a tall metal rack filled with purple containers.

Animal housing structures

Peter Halfmann, associate research professor of virology in the School of Veterinary Medicine, shows a HEPA filtered ventilated cage rack that is used to house animals during a tour of the Influenza Research Institute at UW–Madison. The high-security research facility was closed down for annual decontamination, cleaning and maintenance. Photo: Althea Dotzour

A small group of masked adults in business attire stands in a mechanical room with visible pipes and ducts, listening as one person gestures while speaking.

Mechanical room at the Influenza Research Institute

Second from right, Peter Halfmann describes the safety features and equipment redundancies in a mechanical room during a tour of the Influenza Research Institute at UW–Madison. Photo: Althea Dotzour

A man in a blue blazer and face mask gestures toward a piece of equipment while standing in a laboratory room surrounded by hanging respirators and protective suits.

Biosafety suit and breathing equipment

At center, Peter Halfmann shows a biosafety suit and PAPR (powered air purifying respirator) during a tour of the Influenza Research Institute. Photo: Althea Dotzour

Large insulated cylindrical industrial tank mounted on a steel frame, surrounded by white pipes and valves in a mechanical room.

System to decontaminate wastewater

A mechanical system designed to decontaminate wastewater is pictured during a tour of the Influenza Research Institute. Photo: Althea Dotzour

A woman wearing a face mask and glasses presents a 'Biosafety' slideshow to an audience, featuring a slide with the text 'Administrative Tasks' and a 'Get your flu shot' illustration.

Christina Pier presentation

Christina Pier, select agent responsible official and institutional contact for dual use research, gives a presentation during a tour of the Influenza Research Institute. Photo: Althea Dotzour

A man in a light shirt reaches out to touch one of several white laboratory respirator hoods hanging on a wall.

Personal protective equipment breathing system

During a tour of the Influenza Research Institute, Zac Najacht, lab operations manager at the Influenza Research Institute, describes to visiting media representatives the breathing system of personal protective equipment typically worn by researchers. Photo: Jeff Miller

A researcher wearing a full white biohazard suit and gloves works behind a glass safety shield, handling laboratory equipment and a beaker of yellow liquid.

Biosafety practices demonstration

Dressed in personal protective equipment with an integrated breathing system, a researcher demonstrates proper biosafety practices in the lab for a group of media representatives touring the Influenza Research Institute. Photo: Jeff Miller

A researcher in a white lab coat and blue gloves stands in a laboratory next to several stacked mesh cages used for insect research.

Mosquito-borne pathogen research

Matthew Aliota, assistant scientist in the Department of Pathobiological Sciences in the School of Veterinary Medicine, works with a strain of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes stored in a research lab insectary in the Hanson Biomedical Sciences Building at UW-Madison. Aliota is an expert on mosquito-borne pathogens such as the Zika virus, dengue fever and yellow fever infections. Photo: Jeff Miller