Interior layout showing diagnostic work zones and ergonomic equipment placement inside LIS-Labs’ mobile BSL-3 facility.

Interior of BSL-3 laboratory

1. From Routine Testing to Risk Management

Many diagnostic and research facilities operate with minimal containment infrastructure, even when handling potentially hazardous specimens. As biological risks escalate—from local TB outbreaks to global pandemics—higher biosafety standards are no longer optional.

Biosafety laboratories are not simply regulatory checkboxes. They are critical infrastructure for protecting staff, ensuring diagnostic reliability, and upholding national and institutional readiness.

2. What Is a Biosafety Laboratory?

A biosafety laboratory is a facility designed to protect laboratory personnel, the environment, and the wider public from exposure to infectious agents. These labs are classified from BSL-1 to BSL-4, based on the level of containment required:

BSL-1: Low-risk organisms, no containment required provided sound lab practices are followed.

BSL-2: Moderate-risk agents requiring limited access, biosafety cabinets, and safe waste disposal.

BSL-3: High-risk, airborne pathogens (e.g., Mycobacterium tuberculosis, SARS-CoV-2) requiring directional airflow, sealed environments, and advanced engineering controls.

BSL-4: Reserved for the highest risk pathogens (e.g., Ebola), with full-body suits and maximum containment.

Most public health, academic, and diagnostic institutions will fall within the BSL-2 or BSL-3 category depending on the pathogens they handle and the nature of their work.

3. Signs You May Need a BSL-2 or BSL-3 Laboratory

You may need a biosafety laboratory if:

  • Your team processes infectious clinical samples, particularly respiratory or bloodborne.

  • You conduct TB, COVID-19, or high-risk influenza diagnostics.

  • You operate near outbreak-prone regions or international borders.

  • You are preparing lab capacity increase to handle infectuous samples.

  • Your facility lacks engineered airflow control, negative pressure zones, or safe waste decontamination.

  • Donors or regulators require compliance with WHO biosafety standards or local health authorities.

Even with trained staff and rigorous procedures, insufficient infrastructure can put personnel and data at risk.

4. What a Biosafety Lab Enables

Upgrading to a formal biosafety laboratory environment provides:

  • Safer handling of clinical, diagnostic, or research specimens.

  • Regulatory compliance with WHO, CDC, or national biosafety standards.

  • Improved accuracy, reliability, and reproducibility of test results.

  • Credibility and collaboration, especially in partnerships with research sponsors, health ministries, or international funders.

A compliant lab also protects your staff and your institution’s reputation in the event of an adverse event or audit.

5. Case Example: Harare Deployment

In 2023, LIS-Labs deployed a mobile BSL-3 laboratory in Harare, in collaboration with the Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Child Care and the United Nations. The lab was installed to strengthen tuberculosis diagnostic capacity. Read more about our Harare project in *The Loop*, Issue 4 (25 July 2012), in our [customer experiences and testimonials](https://www.lis-labs.com/what-people-say/).

The project included full system validation, solar-integrated backup power, and workflow-driven layout, allowing local staff to operate safely and efficiently in a high-containment environment.

 

Containerised biosafety laboratory with rooftop solar panels deployed by LIS-Labs in Africa for energy-independent biosafety operations.

Energy-independent high-containment: LIS-Labs’ containerised biosafety laboratory with integrated solar power, engineered for reliable biosafety operations in Africa’s challenging environments.