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Hazard:
A hazard is any source of potential damage, harm or adverse health effects on something or
someone. Basically, a hazard is the potential for harm or an adverse effect (for example, to
people as health effects, to organizations as property or equipment losses, or to the
environment).
Workplace hazards also include practices or conditions that release uncontrolled energy like:
Types of hazards:
There are some types of hazards are:
Biological -bacteria, viruses, insects, plants, birds, animals, and humans, etc.,
Chemical -depends on the physical, chemical and toxic properties of the chemical,
Ergonomic -repetitive movements, improper set up of workstation, etc.,
Physical -radiation, magnetic fields, pressure extremes (high pressure or vacuum), noise,
etc.,
Psychosocial -stress, violence, etc.,
Safety -slipping/tripping hazards, inappropriate machine guarding, equipment
malfunctions or breakdowns.
Biological Hazards:
Sources of biological hazards may include bacteria, viruses, insects, plants, birds, animals, and
humans. These sources can cause a variety of health effects ranging from skin irritation and
allergies to infections (e.g., tuberculosis, AIDS), cancer and so on.
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in 1966 by Charles Baldwin, an environmental-health engineer working for the Dow Chemical
Company on the containment products.
It is used in the labeling of biological materials that carry a significant health risk, including viral
samples and used hypodermic needles. In Unicode, the biohazard symbol is U+2623 (☣).
Biological Hazards:
If your workplace deals with animals, plants or organic materials, then it may be a dangerous
source of biological hazards. It is not limited to these places; actually people around a sick
person are susceptible to a biological hazard too.
• Fungi.
• Mold.
• Body Fluids such as blood.
• Bacteria.
• Viruses.
• Animal Materials.
• Plant Material.
• Insects.
A detailed compilation of biohazards by Dutkiewicz et al. (1988) shows how widespread the
risks can be to workers in many other occupations as well (table 1).
Sector Examples
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Laboratory animal care
Day-care centers
Anthrax:
This is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium, called Bacillus, which produces a spore
which can cause infections of the lungs. It can also affect the skin, mouth, throat, and part of
the digestive system. Usually it is acquired via inhalation or eating contaminated undercooked
food (usually meat).
Hepatitis:
This refers to an infection of the liver. There are various types of hepatitis, referred to as A, B, C,
D, and E. Some are caused by infections, some by a specific virus. It can be spread from human
to human via bodily fluids. Immunization exists for A and B, but not for the others. Some forms
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clear on their own after a few weeks, while others, in some cases, may cause death or at least
severe illness.
Influenza:
Not to be confused with the common cold, which is much less seriously, influenza, also known
as the flu, is a virus that affects the respiratory track (throat, lungs, nose, mouth, etc). The
elderly, and people with other health problems, are much more susceptible to complications. In
some cases it can cause death. Immunization exists for influenza, which seems to get worse in
the winter, but it changes regularly so the medical profession is always working to keep up with
the different forms.
Lyme disease:
A bacterium that is spread by ticks, which is spread to the host (e.g. rodents, pets, humans,
etc.). It can cause flu-like symptoms, as well as arthritis, and cardiac irregularities. This is of
particular concern for outdoor workers in areas where there are a lot of trees/plants and wild
animals. Other symptoms: rashes, extreme fatigue, sore joints, headaches, fever, etc.
Rabies:
A very serious virus that infects and destroys brain tissue that will lead to death if medical
attention isn't obtained quickly. Anyone suspecting of coming in contact with an infection must
Seek medical help immediately (vaccination), before warning signs appear. Once warning signs
appear it is almost always too late to save that person. It is contracted by exposure to bodily
fluids from any warm-blooded animal, even a scratch from an infected cat or dog, or droplets
enter into the eyes or nose.
Tuberculosis:
An infection of the lungs caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, which infects
the lungs. Weight loss, fatigue, fever, and coughing are warning signs. Treatment exists and is
usually very successful. Many times treatment is not needed as the person's immune system
can handle the infections. But precautions should be taken not to transmit the disease.
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guidance. Biological containment laboratories, animal facilities and plant facilities must
therefore be classified into one of the three containment levels (CL 1 - 3). Basically,
containment level 1 is for low risk work, containment level 2 is for medium risk work, and
containment level 3 is for high risk work.
• Control Measures:
Control measures will predominantly reflect the risks, activity and potential routes of exposure
of people, animals or plants or release to the environment. Control measures must be selected
on the basis of the specific requirements of the legislation which are detailed in relevant HSE,
Scottish Government and DEFRA guidance.
• Special Controls:
You should provide details of any special control measures that you intend to use for your
work. For example work with toxic or carcinogenic hazards requires a high level of control.
When selecting the appropriate measures for controlling the risks of carcinogens or toxins, the
potential for long term and possibly fatal effects must be taken into account. Strict control
measures should be adopted including for example, totally enclosed process and handling,
extensive cleaning and disinfection procedures, safe storage and disposal and prohibition of
eating and drinking.
• Disinfection:
Disinfectants must be appropriate for the relevant biological agents or hazards, animals or
plants used in the work. The effectiveness of many disinfectants can vary considerable
depending on the biological agent, concentration, exposure time, pH and presence of organic
matter, liquids or solids. Disinfectants may be used for inactivating biological agents and
hazards in solid and liquid materials and also on contaminated surfaces and equipment.
• Autoclaving:
Autoclaving is the most effective inactivation method and by far the easiest and least time
consuming to both validate and monitor. For these reasons it is strongly recommended that all
biological agent or hazard contaminated waste including all liquid waste and waste destined for
incineration is autoclaved unless there is a very good reason to use another method. It is
generally accepted that any biological agent, except TSE which are a special case, will be
inactivated by autoclaving under conditions that maintain 121ºC for at least 15 min with full
steam penetration. Note, the minimum 15 min excludes the time required to reach 121ºC, and
the above conditions must be maintained even in the most inaccessible positions of the load.
TSE will be inactivated by autoclaving at 134ºC. Inactivation is defined as achieving a sufficient
% kill commensurate with the risks although 100% kill is normally required. The % kill to be
achieved must be defined and appropriate methods of validation and monitoring that
demonstrate this is achieved need to be specified and employed. Records must be kept.
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• Waste Management and Disposal:
All aspects of waste management need to be safely carried out including labeling, safe handling,
storage, transport and disposal. Waste containing biological agents and hazards should be
properly inactivated using a validated means before disposal. You should describe what waste
containers will be used such as waste bags, bins or sharps bins. You should also briefly describe
how your waste will be disposed such as whether it will be hazardous or non-hazardous waste,
biological, chemical or radioactive waste. Please see the SEPS waste website for further details
about waste management and disposal.
• Emergency Procedures:
You need to describe the control measures and emergency procedures which will be used to
protect people and the environment from exposure to the biological agents and hazards in the
work in an emergency. You should provide details of the control measures that will be required
to deal with accidents and emergencies that could cause people or the environment to be
exposed to biological agents or hazards or an accidental release of biological agents or hazards.
The manager, principal investigator and workers are responsible for ensuring that incidents and
emergencies are properly dealt with since these are the experts in the biological agents and
hazards and the work.
• Emergency Contacts:
You should provide the names and contact details of people to contact in case of an accident or
emergency. This must include the name of the principal investigator or manager who is in
charge of and understands the work together with details of other relevant persons including
the workers doing the work and colleagues involved in the work.