Which of the following describes Secondary Engineering Controls (SECs)?

Secondary Engineering Controls (SECs) are essential components in sterile compounding environments, designed to provide additional layers of safety and contamination control beyond the primary engineering controls. The primary role of SECs is to maintain an environment that supports the safe preparation of compounded sterile products (CSPs) by ensuring appropriate air quality and pressure differentials.

Specifically, SECs are responsible for maintaining a clean environment through HEPA filtration and are typically designed to keep a specific pressure differential relative to surrounding areas to prevent the ingress of contaminants. Furthermore, these controls help protect sterile environments from particulate matter and microbial contamination, ensuring patient safety and the integrity of the compounded products.

In contrast, primary sources of HEPA filtered air refer to primary engineering controls like laminar airflow hoods or biological safety cabinets that provide sterile air directly to the compounding area. Spaces for high-risk drug compounding describes areas where compounding occurs under particularly stringent conditions but does not define SECs per se. Lastly, segments for administrative tasks do not pertain to the engineering controls at all, as they focus on operational aspects rather than providing a sterile compounding environment. Thus, the description regarding maintaining a specific pressure differential aligns precisely with the function of SECs.