Assessment of Biosafety Practices in Clinical Microbiology Laboratories Across Teaching Hospitals in South South Nigeria

Biosafety in clinical microbiology laboratories is fundamental to protecting laboratory workers, patients, and the environment from pathogen exposure, yet compliance with biosafety standards in Nigerian teaching hospital laboratories is inconsistently achieved. This study assesses biosafety practices in clinical microbiology laboratories at five teaching hospitals in the South South geopolitical zone, covering Rivers, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, and Bayelsa States. A structured WHO Laboratory Biosafety Manual-based assessment tool was applied to evaluate personal protective equipment use, biological hazard waste segregation and disposal, biosafety cabinet maintenance, decontamination procedures, and staff biosafety training frequency. Assessment findings were supplemented by interviews with 25 laboratory scientists and biosafety officers. Overall biosafety compliance scores ranged from 42 to 71 percent, with none of the five laboratories achieving full compliance across all domains. The most common deficiencies included non-functional biosafety cabinets in three facilities, incomplete PPE provision, and absence of documented biosafety standard operating procedures in two laboratories. Sharps injury reporting systems were absent in 60 percent of facilities. Professional recommendations include mandatory biennial biosafety audits, national biosafety certification for medical laboratory scientists, and ring-fenced biosafety budget lines in teaching hospital procurement plans. Keywords: biosafety, clinical microbiology laboratory, teaching hospital, South South Nigeria, infection prevention