Biological agents
Basically, there are quite a number of biological agents that employees are likely to come into contact with in their places of work. These agents are of different types and each one of them has its own unique effects. These biological agents that exist include can be categorized into different groups including bacteria, fungi, viruses and their subsequent toxins. These agents have the capability to have very adverse effects on the health of the workers with some of them being relatively mild to some very serious health conditions and sometimes even death. These agents are very prevalent in the natural environment and are found in the air, soils, animals and plants. Microbes tend to have this characteristic tendency to multiply rapidly and therefore require minimal resources in order to survive. Viruses are most prevalent biological agents and some of the examples include: avian flu, anthrax, botulism, Ebola, Hantavirus, plague, ricin among others.
There are quite a number of activities that put employees at the risk of being exposed to biological agents in their places of work. The level of exposure is mainly influenced by the work environment and the working conditions. Some of the activities that involve the exposure of the employees to biological agents include: working in plants that deal with food production, agricultural farms, plants that produce biotechnological products including pharmaceuticals, activities where one comes into contact with animals or their products, healthcare facilities, clinical and veterinary labs, sewage purification plants and refuse disposal plants. These environments expose the employees to various types of biological agents which are highly prevalent in the materials they handle in their daily work related activities.
It is very important that the exposure to biological agents on the part of the employees is kept as low as possible and therefore measures must be put into place in order to ensure that this is accomplished. This will help minimize the risk of exposure and also to ensure that there is control of any underlying risk in order to protect the workers. Some of the control measures that can be taken include ensuring that you keep the number of employees who are exposed or are likely to be exposed to these agents as low as possible (Haight, 2012). This will help minimize the level of contamination and the risk of spreading the agents. These agents can also be controlled through application of various work processes and engineering measures that have been designed in such a manner that they either reduce the release of these agents or avoid them in totality. Exposure can also be controlled through the use of collective protection measures and individual protection measures in which it is totally impossible to avoid exposure. Hygiene measures that are compatible with the objectives of the prevention of the exposure should also be used. Use of biohazard signs can also help to control the level of exposure (Haight, 2012).
In the analysis of the biological agents, various sampling techniques have been developed and more continue to be developed. In this analysis, a number of factors must be taken into consideration including the method of dispersion of the agents, the reason why the sampling is being carried out, the conditions in which exposure occurred, the persistence of the agents, the physical state of the biological agents, the volume of the agent that is being sampled and the lab protocols. It is important that the biological agents are retained as particulate matters thus helping to ensure that the methods of detection are designed for particulate sampling. Some of the sampling techniques that are used in the sampling and the detection of biological agents include: use of swabs, wipes and sponges, vacuum methods and use of agar plates. There are also some other techniques that do not allow the responders to carry out any form of generic detection for the various biological agents (BaldwinRunkle, 1967). This implies that they do not allow the identification of any specific agents but can be used in the determination of any suspect materials. Some of these techniques include use of particle analyzers, the use of fluorometers, the use of luminometers, the use of colorimeters and also the use of PH papers. These techniques will only allow detecting the presence or absence of any biological agents but cannot specify the particular agent that is prevalent.
It is the duty of the employers to ensure that the employees are not exposed to biological agents and therefore they must put measures into place that will ensure that they are remain protected. The employer must carry out a risk analysis in regard to the safety and health of the employees. This will help him come up with a proper assessment of the safety of the workers. It will be the duty of the employer to decide on the duration, the level of exposure and the nature of the exposure to biological agents on the part of the employees and this will be crucial in laying down of the various measures that can be taken in order to ensure that the employees remain safe and protected. It is also recommended that the employer should keep a written form of the risk assessment so that tracking of the agents can be made easier (BaldwinRunkle, 1967).
In case of an exposure, the employer must keep a list of the employees who may be exposed as stipulated in the relevant codes of practice. This list should be kept for a period of 10 years as required in the occupational safety and health regulations. Information should also be freely availed to the employees so that they remain at par with any new developments in regard to their health and safety.
References
Haight Joel M. (2012), The safety professionals handbook. American Society of Safety Engineers; 2nd edition (March 1, 2012).
Baldwin CL and Runkle RS (1967)."Biohazards symbol: development of a biological hazards warning signal".Science158(3798): 264–5.