Identification of the hazards of the activity

Once the characteristics of the biological agent and its hazardousness have been identified, to correctly assess the risk of exposure it is necessary to know the characteristics of the activity and the working conditions.

The presence of biological agents does not necessarily imply exposure or damage to health. This will depend on the characteristics of the work to be carried out, the work procedures established and the control and safety measures implemented, all of which will determine whether or not the biological agent comes into contact with the worker and penetrates his or her organism, or is dispersed in the environment.

Index:

• Characteristics of the activity and environmental conditions
• Identification and analysis of research activity with biological agents.
• Obtaining
• Transportation
• Reception
• Storage
• Manipulation
• Removal
• Training and biological status of research personnel

Characteristics of the activity and environmental conditions

In the identification of the hazards derived from the experimental procedure or research project in which a biological agent is involved, they must be analyzed and known:

• The characteristics of the activity to be carried out during the handling of biological agents. At this point it is important to know if the activity involves manipulation where aerosols may be generated (the generation of bioaerosols is considered a hazardous condition), and to know the equipment or work elements to be used during the activity (for example, if there is a risk of cutting or puncture). It is also necessary to know if you are working with animals (risk of being bitten/scratched), the duration of exposure, the concentration and volume of the biological agent to be handled, the culture conditions, the reproduction cycles and survival structures, the host range, the existence of oncogenic sequences, the production of viruses by cell lines, etc.
• The environmental conditions during the activity: humidity, temperature, availability of nutrients, presence of hosts or vectors, etc.

It is useful to involve all the research personnel in this process, to contemplate together the globality of the operations to be carried out and thus have enough knowledge to achieve the maximum control and correct management of the biological risk. This implies reviewing all its phases, from the moment of obtaining the biological agent to its elimination, passing through all the stages where it is present:

This information will allow to determine the possible presence of the biological agent in the activity and to evaluate if in these conditions it is possible to materialize the complete chain of transmission. The chain of transmission or infection consists of the sequence of steps that the biological agent has to follow to cause an illness or infection in the worker, and includes: multiplication and dispersion in the work environment and contact of the agent with the worker. This is why it is important to carry out an exhaustive analysis of the entire process and the critical points where contact with the biological agent may occur to establish adequate levels of biosafety.

Training and biological status of research personnel

To guarantee a safe workplace, it is also important to consider aspects related to the human factor and the health status of the personnel involved in the activities. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze aspects such as:

• Training and qualification of research personnel: information regarding their training and qualification for the position, their skills, work attitudes, degree of implementation of protocols and/or work procedures in the laboratory, etc.
• The characteristics and health conditions of the research personnel: information regarding their biological and health status (particularly sensitive worker, immunized or not against the biological agent to which he/she is exposed, pregnancy, breastfeeding, etc.).