Biological agent
Any micro-organism, cell culture, or human endoparasite, including any that have been genetically modified, which may cause infection, allergy, toxicity or other hazard to human health. Classified into four groups by infectivity and risk.
By jurisdiction
UK HSE
“biological agent”Exact equivalentDefined in COSHH 2002 regulation 2(1) as any micro-organism, cell culture, or human endoparasite, including genetically modified ones, that may cause infection, allergy, toxicity or other hazard to human health. Schedule 3 of COSHH sets out four hazard groups, from group 1 (unlikely to cause human disease) to group 4 (causes severe human disease, high individual risk).
Irish HSA
“biological agent”Close equivalentDefined in the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Biological Agents) Regulations 2013 (SI 2013/572), implementing EU Directive 2000/54/EC. Biological agents are classified into groups 1 to 4 by risk to humans. Employers must assess the risk and apply containment measures appropriate to the group.
US OSHA
“biological hazard”Partial equivalentOSHA addresses biological agents in specific standards including 29 CFR 1910.1030 (Bloodborne Pathogens), which defines bloodborne pathogens as pathogenic microorganisms in human blood that can cause disease. There is no single OSHA standard equivalent to COSHH Schedule 3 covering all four hazard groups of biological agents.
Practitioner note: Group classification drives the containment level. Confirm the group before specifying controls, because the risk assessment and the containment requirements both follow from it.