Biological agents

Healthcare workers may be exposed to a wide range of biological agents, for example, influenza, COVID-19, Tuberculosis, Hepatitis and HIV infections.

Exposure to biological agents can cause infection, allergy or toxicity.

Agents are classified into 4 risk groups according to their level of risk of infection.

These are:

group 1 biological agent means one that is unlikely to cause human disease to employees
group 2 biological agent means one that can cause human disease and might be a hazard to employees, although it is unlikely to spread to the community and in respect of which, there is usually effective prophylaxis or treatment available
group 3 biological agent means one that can cause severe human disease and presents a serious hazard to employees and which may present a risk of spreading to the community, although there is usually effective prophylaxis or treatment available
group 4 biological agent means one that causes severe human disease and is a serious hazard to employees and which may present a high risk of spreading to the community and in respect of which there is usually no effective prophylaxis or treatment available

Manager responsibilities

As a manager, it is your responsibility to:

have an understanding of what makes up a biological agent
do a risk assessment identifying hazards and risks of exposure to biological agents
ensure appropriate measures are in place to eliminate or minimise risks

Where there is a risk to the health or safety of employees, you must ensure:

employees do not eat or drink where there is a risk of contamination
employees have appropriate washing facilities including eye washes and skin antiseptic
procedures are in place for taking and processing samples
employees are given special protective clothing and equipment (where necessary)
appropriate responses are in place for emergencies such as spills and contaminated employees
training needs assessment is carried out to identify training requirements

Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Biological Agents) Regulations, 2020

Employee responsibilities

As an employee, it is your responsibility to:

understand what makes up a biological agent
work in a responsible manner, taking care of your safety, health and welfare
cooperate with the regular review of risk assessments and control measures
attend training as appropriate
use safety equipment or PPE provided
report any defects in equipment and unsafe systems of work
report any incidents or near-misses involving a biological agent

Policy on the Management of Biological Agents in the Healthcare Sector (PDF, 851KB, 28 pages)

Risk assessment

Managers are responsible for assessing their employees' risk of exposure to a biological agent.

You must identify the nature, degree and duration of any exposure to a biological agent. Control measures must be put in place to ensure the safety and health of employees.

Biological agents risk assessment form (Word, 67 KB, 2 pages)

Biological agents risk assessment fillable form template (Word, 84 KB, 2 pages)

Guidance on completing a biological risk assessment (PDF, 182 KB, 2 pages)

Training

Managers must ensure their employees get the training identified in the training needs assessment.

Training should cover:

the hazardous properties of biological agents handled
the level, type and duration of exposure
the circumstances of work involving biological agents
potential risks to health
precautions to safeguard yourself and others in the workplace
vaccines available
steps to prevent incidents
the process to follow where a suspected exposure has occurred
standard operating procedures (SOPs)

Vaccinations

Managers must offer vaccination, where one exists, for a biological agent exposure risk.

You should tell your employees about the advantages and disadvantages of vaccination.

Where employees do not wish to avail of vaccination or are non-responders to vaccination, additional control measures may be required.

Records of vaccination and follow-up treatment should be kept.

For queries on your vaccination immunity status contact your local occupational health service.

Health surveillance

Health surveillance is a system of ongoing health checks. It helps with early detection of ill health and identifies measures that may help.

Health surveillance is needed if:

an identifiable disease or adverse health effect may be related to the exposure
there is a likelihood that a disease or health effect may happen due to work conditions

The HSE and a responsible medical practitioner must keep health and medical records. These are usually kept for 10 to 40 years. This depends on the length of time of the exposure.

Work clothing and personal protective equipment (PPE)

Personal protective equipment (PPE) must be provided where risks cannot be avoided or reduced by other control measures.

The manager in consultation with the employee must make an assessment of the hazards in the workplace to identify the correct type of PPE and ensure that it is appropriate to the risk.

Reporting dangerous occurrences to the HSA

HSA reporting forms

Accidents or incidents that may have resulted in the release of a biological agent and which could cause both severe human infection and human illness must be reported to the HSA.

Report a case of disease or death from occupational exposure to a biological agent.

Cases of COVID-19 or deaths resulting from COVID-19 in employees resulting from occupational exposure to the SAR-CoV-2 virus should also be reported.

Notification for first time use of a group 2/3 or 4 biological agent.

COVID-19 risk assessments and guidance

Use these prompt sheets to help you conduct a risk assessment and provide evidence of existing control measures. Once completed, these prompt sheets can be appended to the Biological Agents Risk Assessment Form.