Biological risk assessment is one of the key points of biosafety. It is the process by which the hazard characteristics of the biological agent, the activities and work procedures that could lead to exposure, the likelihood of contracting a disease after exposure, and the consequences of post-infection disease are identified.
Based on the risk assessment, the appropriate biosafety measures are determined (facility specifications, microbiological practices, safety equipment, etc.) in order to avoid/eliminate and/or control the possible risks derived from exposure or contact with biological agents during the performance of the work activity.
In those cases where complete and thorough information is not available in order to be able to carry out a risk assessment with guarantees, it is advisable to adopt a conservative position applying the precautionary principle which states that ‘when an activity is potentially harmful to health and/or the environment, the necessary preventive measures must be taken even if the cause-effect relationships have not been scientifically established’.
Biological risk assessment process
The Principal Investigator (PI), or the person responsible for teaching, is responsible for assessing the potential risk of a given experimental procedure, establishing the level of biosafety required and, by means of the declaration of activities, submitting the result of the identification and analysis to the CBSUB for review via the e-mail address: cbsub@ub.edu.
The steps to be followed to carry out the risk assessment are as follows:
- Identify the hazards of the biological agent and classify it according to the risk group (GR1, 2, 3 or 4) and its possible effects on health and the environment.
- Identify the dangers derived from the activity to be carried out with the biological agent. In the analysis of these hazards, aspects such as, for example, whether the activity involves handling where aerosols may or may not be generated, the concentration and volume of the biological agent to be handled, the equipment or working elements to be used during the activity (risk of cutting or stabbing), work with animals (risk of mosquitoes being chewed and/or caught), etc. must be taken into account.
- Classify the Biological Containment Level (BCN I, II, III or IV) required according to the result of the risk assessment. When there are reasonable doubts about the classification of a certain activity, the measures corresponding to the highest risk level will be applied according to the precautionary principle.
- Assess whether the characteristics of the laboratory (basic, basic with biosafety cabinet, containment, maximum containment) and the training, experience and physiological status of the staff involved are appropriate to the nature of the activities to be carried out and the risk assessment for the workers.
- Send the result of this risk analysis to the CBSUB (cbsub@ub.edu) by the declaration of activities so that it can review it and implement any additional measures considered necessary.
