BIOLOGICAL HAZARD

Safety and Health Officer Course

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OBJECTIVE

1. State the definition of biological agents

2. Explain the interaction between agents, host
and environment
3. State six elements of the infection chain
4. Elaborate briefly the concept of biological
safety cabinet classification
5. Elaborate briefly safety aspects of working
with biological agents

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SCOPE

Introduction

Definition

Interaction between Agent, Host and
Environment

Factors for the spread of diseases

Infection chain

Characteristics of biological agents

Biological Safety Cabinet Classification

Summary

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INTRODUCTION

Awareness of worker and community

Identification of biological agents that
causes Legionnaire’s disease, Hepatitis
B and HIV

High risk industries - agriculture,
healthcare, biotechnology, research and
clinical labs

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DEFINITION

Biological agent
Comprises living organisms such as virus,
bacteria capable of releasing toxic
materials that can result in disease

Etiological agent
Agent that causes the actual disease

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DEFINITION

Infection
Attack by a pathogenic organism, whether
resulting in disease or not

Bio-Safety
A field of science that tries to disconnect
the elements in the infection chain

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DEFINITION

Agent
Physical, radiological or chemical entity that may
cause certain effects upon exposure

Host
The habitat of the agent

Environment
Comprises living and non-living organisms
(includes biosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere,
hydrosphere) Copyright@NIOSH 2005 7
INTERACTION OF THE AGENT, HOST
AND ENVIRONMENT
Host
 Health status
Agent  Management system
 Vector, carrier  Training
 Replacement  Health monitoring
of pathogens  Use of PPE
Agent Host
 Antibiotic  Perception
Resistance  Retention
 Virulent factors
 Infection Environment
Environment
factors  Population density
 Death factors  Medical support services
 Weather (wind, temperature,
UV index)
 Social, politics and ethics
 Design of facilities
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FACTORS FOR THE ONSET OF
DISEASES

Pathogenic agent

Existence of a reservoir

Agent capable of retention
Agent mobility

Agent

Entry in new host

Susceptible host

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INFECTION CHAIN

Pathogen

Retention

Release
from
retention

Transmissi
on through
environmen
t
Route of
entry

Susceptible
Host

Infection control = break any one or more links in the infection chain

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CHARACTERISTICS OF
BIOLOGICAL AGENTS

No threshold exposure limit

Can exist in any environment

Effected and influenced by biological
competition

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BIOLOGICAL SAFETY CABINET
CLASSIFICATION
Bio-Hazard Agent Example Control
Potential Description
Level I Not known to cause Bacillus subtilis Normal
disease microbiological
practice

Level II Able to cause Salmonella Biohazard label

disease in humans Hepatitis Autoclave

Level III Indigenous agent HIV Specific design

TB Specific LEV

Level IV Dangerous agent Ebola Specific design

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SAFETY WHEN WORKING WITH
BIOLOGICAL AGENTS

Management of Bio-Safety Programme

Administrative controls

Physical isolation
Disinfection and sterilisation

Disinfection

Accident and emergency planning

Transportation of biological agents

Biological communication risk

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SUMMARY

Biological agents are capable of
releasing toxic materials that may
cause diseases

Biological agents have no threshold

exposure value, can be found in any
environment and is influenced by
biological competition

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SUMMARY

Infection control may be successful by
breaking one or more of the links in the
infection chain

There are four levels in bio-hazard safety

with different risk potentials

Safety while working with biological agents

is of utmost importance to ensure there is
no significant risk of infection
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