Abstract
In Switzerland the use of genetically modified and pathogenic microorganisms is regulated by the Federal Law relating to the Protection of the Environment. Principles and practices of biosafety on the level of enforcement, such as risk assessment, general safety measures for all installations, and specific safety measures for individual types of research and development laboratories, growth rooms and greenhouses, animal units, and production plants, are given by the “Swiss Ordinance on the Contained Use of Organisms.” This paper presents the ordinance against the background of the public health situation in Switzerland and the implications for construction and operation of clinical laboratories (BSL-2 and BSL-3).