The Government of Canada’s Canadian Biosafety Handbook (CBH), 2nd Edition, 2016, is a national guidance document that outlines how biosafety and biosecurity requirements from the Canadian Biosafety Standards (CBS) can be attained. It addresses the steps necessary for safe handling and storing of human and terrestrial animal pathogens and toxins in Canada. The updated CBH provides general guidance for Canadian facilities regarding containment zone personnel rather than specific guidance or standard operating procedures (SOPs) for individual pathogens. 

CBH targets the themes necessary for the development of a comprehensive risk-based biosafety management program. It focuses on meeting the physical containment requirements, operational practice requirements, and performance and verification testing requirements for regulated facilities specified in the CBS. The handbook is available in English and in French for free online. This second edition CBH updates the information originally published as Part II of the Canadian Biosafety Standards and Guidelines (CBSG), 1st Edition, 2013. The CBSG was developed as the result of a joint initiative undertaken by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to harmonize Canadian biosafety standards and guidelines for the design, construction, and operation of facilities in which pathogens or toxins are handled. The PHAC and the CFIA welcome suggestions for future editions of CBH.

The standards and guidelines are part of a larger suite of biosafety and biosecurity resources maintained by the Canadian Centre for Biosecurity in collaboration with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Health Canada and Public Health Agency of Canada. The Centre has 4 offices that focus on biosecurity: 1. Office of Biosafety Programs and Planning (OBPP), 2. Office of Biosafety and Biocontainment Operations (OBBO), 3. Office of Pathogen Security (OPS), 4. Office of Stakeholder Engagement and Regulatory Affairs (OSERA).