The 30,000-gross-square-meter (322,917-gsf) facility has been in operation since 1998. In the intervening years, a tremendous amount of money has been invested on research grants for infectious diseases, especially in North America. As a result, many organizations are building Level 3 and Level 4 facilities. Dr. Stefan Wagener, scientific director for biosafety and environment and chief administration officer for the CSCHAH, offers the following lessons learned from six years of construction and another six years in operation.

Plan for Growth

Wagener estimates that if the investment and interest continue, laboratories will run out of capacity in two or three years.

"This is exactly what happened at the CSCHAH," he says, noting that the Centre has more than doubled its headcount since 1997. The latest numbers are above 400 within the existing facility. With an exception of a small office area that was built adjacent to it, they are still working within the existing facility.

"We have some issues. There is not enough laboratory space, office space, storage space, common space, meeting rooms, etc.," says Wagener. "One of the things that can certainly help is to design and build your facilities with the users in mind, and have them help you assess the needs that you have for the future."

Plan for Equipment Replacement

The CSCHAH's $7.2-million annual operational budget does not include a long-term capital plan.

"We have equipment that not only needs to be maintained regularly, but will also need to be replaced at some point. In some cases it will cost us millions and millions of dollars."

Wagener advises accounting for equipment replacement using a computer maintenance management system. Make sure that the database has every single piece of equipment listed, along with the maintenance requirements for each and likely replacement dates.

"The best time to get this information is during the commissioning data phase," he says. "Put every piece of equipment into a database. Later on, from an operational and maintenance point of view, this is the database that you rely on to do the scheduling of those events."

Plan for Dedicated Decon Space

The CSCHAH does not have dedicated decontamination rooms.

"This is one of the biggest issues that we are facing right now in our Level 3 facilities, at least on the human health side," says Wagener. "Whenever we need to bring out a piece of equipment—a biosafety cabinet or an incubator, for example—we have to build a decontamination room outside of the containment barrier in order to safely move the equipment out and maintain continuous operation."

To avoid interrupting research, add space that allows you to move larger pieces of equipment in or out.

Extend HEPA Life with Pre-Filtration

Wagener notes that most of the HEPA filters in the CSCHAH are original to the building, thanks to HEPA pre-filtration. He points out that the location of the pre-filters is also an important consideration in extending filter life.

"If you have a significant dust load, consider placing the pre-filter right at the source," says Wagener, noting that pre-filter location also has an impact on O&M personnel. "It is much easier for the staff to change a pre-filter in an animal room. To change a pre-filter up at the HEPA housing, you have to go through a full decontamination process or think about a bag-in/bag-out system."

Biowaste Treatment

The Centre has had some material compatibility issues with its ISO-certified, two-stage biowaste system. Potentially infectious liquid waste is pretreated at the source of origin, then goes to the liquid waste treatment system where it is sterilized. To save costs, however, pressure sterilizers with basic carbon steel vessels were installed. They have not proven to be suitable for the harsh liquid waste produced and as a result, have been subject to pitting and corrosion.

"It's a very expensive issue," says Wagener. "We have tried overlay welding and a Teflon coating. Nothing works."

The long-term solution, replacing the carbon steel units with higher quality stainless steel or pro super ossonatic steel, will cost $3.5 million. To maintain operations, this process will be phased in over a three-to-four-year period.

Autoclaves—Look Before You Treat

The CSCHAH initially directed all the liquid from the facility autoclaves to be piped into the liquid-treatment system. The result was some 500 gallons per hour being routed to the liquid-treatment system.

"From a capacity point of view, it almost killed our liquid-treatment system," says Wagener.

The piping has since been modified to handle different kinds of stream in a more appropriate fashion. The modifications have saved the number of gallons going through the system and the number of treatment cycles.

"To be fair, the manufacturer of the autoclave warned us about that," says Wagener. "But sometimes decisions are based on perception and not necessarily on evidence."

Fan Capacity

Wagener recommends paying attention to capacity when designing and dimensioning fans.

"If, as a part of your commissioning process, you already run your fans at maximum capacity, you will have a hard time maintaining directional airflow and the necessary air exchanges once the filters start to load up."

Plumbing Traps

In an airtight facility, if the supply fan stops working there is a usually a delay as the exhaust fan powers down. This can result in "deep negatives," or a significant vacuum in the room. If the plumbing traps in the room are too small, the vacuum will suck everything out of the traps, resulting in serious contamination issues.

"Keep this in mind as you develop failure scenarios," says Wagener. "In some cases, we installed eight-inch-deep traps so we could secure the containment barrier even if we pull deep negatives in our rooms."

Plan for Alternatives—Positive Pressure Suits

Make sure when you buy something that is essential to the operation of your facility—software, control devices, etc.—that you know there are alternatives. The CSCHAH discovered this when ILC Dover, the only manufacturer of Level 4 positive pressure suits in North America, decided they would no longer support or repair the suits that CSC had purchased from them.

"A positive pressure suit can cost between $3,000 and $4,000 each," says Wagener. "You don't want to throw it away if it develops a problem with the zipper."

Fortunately, they were able to look to a separate manufacturer, Delta Protection in France. However, Wagener notes that Homeland Security issues in the U.S. currently make it difficult to import the Delta Protection Suit, or return it to France for any maintenance issues.

Mechanical Electrical Isolation

Redundant systems are important to maintaining operations, but redundancy is also important to consider when it comes to individual pieces of equipment.

"It is wonderful to have two different variable frequency drives," says Wagener. "But if both are on the same switchbox or the same transformer, you still have to turn them both off to manage one system."

Mechanical Areas

The lesson learned on mechanical areas is simple: You can never have enough electrical outlets. But Wagener adds this caveat: They should also be on individual circuits.

"When the CSCHAH decons filters, they sometimes run multiple decontaminations on remotely controlled systems," says Wagener. "In such a case it's important to have individual switch capability to run electrical outlets."

By Lee Ingalls