a biological hazard mitigation apparatus permitting a material handling operation in the vicinity of a work area includes a plenum pneumatically coupled and proximate to one side of the work area , a filter sized to trap biological hazards and including an exhaust port , a blower including an inlet port and an exhaust port , and ducting pneumatically coupling the exhaust port of the filter to the inlet port of the blower , wherein the filter is disposed in the plenum , and adjacent surfaces of the filter and the plenum are substantially equal in surface area . if desired , the ducting includes first and second ducts , permitting a silencer to be disposed between the first and second ducts . methods for operating the apparatus are also described .