Report on biological hazards in workplaces

Safe Work Australia Chair Tom Phillips AM recently announced the release of a report from the National Hazard Exposure Worker Surveillance Survey: Exposure to biological hazards and the provision of controls against biological hazards in Australian workplaces.

The report focuses on the exposure of Australian workers to biological hazards and the control measures that are provided in workplaces that eliminate, reduce or control worker exposure to biological hazards.

Biological hazards are organic substances that pose a threat to the health of humans and other living organisms. Biological hazards include viruses eg, HIV, Hepatitis, Avian influenza, pathogenic microorganisms, toxins, spores, fungi and bioactive substances. Biological hazards can also be considered to include biological vectors or transmitters of disease eg, human blood or tissue, live animals.

Findings of the study include:

• 19% of workers surveyed reported they worked in places where there were biological materials. These workers were considered exposed to biological hazards. Of the exposed workers, 75% were in contact with human bodily matter and 30% were in contact with live animals or animal products.
• 63% of workers who reported exposure to biological hazards were female.
• Exposure to biological hazards was concentrated in the health and community services, and agriculture, forestry and fishing industries.
• Biological hazard control provision was high for workers exposed to human bodily matter, laboratory cultures and biohazard waste, sewerage and rubbish but relatively low for workers in contact with animals and animal products.

Phillips said biological hazards pose risks for many workers and in a wide variety of ways including via contact with human bodily matter, animals, sewerage and wastes. Communicable diseases caused by work-related exposures to biological hazards have been estimated to cause 320,000 deaths worldwide each year.

“Efforts should be made to raise the level of knowledge about biological hazards in the general public and future surveillance studies should endeavour to collect more information about subtle and poorly reported biological hazards including moulds, bacteria, algae, plants and wastes,” said Philips.

The full National Hazard Exposure Worker Surveillance Report: Exposure to biological hazards and the provision of controls against biological hazards in Australian workplaces can be found at www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au.