Biological agents, hazard assessment/risk identification

Biological agents are microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, parasites and cell cultures. Handling biological agents can lead to infections, allergies or respiratory diseases.

Employer obligations therefore apply across all sectors when working with biological agents to protect employees.
This is important both in obvious applications (e.g. laboratory, pharmaceutical industry, biotechnology) and in cases that are not obvious at first glance.

Examples include dealing with:

• People (daycare centers, healthcare and nursing services)
• Animals, plants and their products
• Waste, waste water or materials that release biological agents.

To the responsible regional council.

Notification forms for activities involving biological agents can be obtained from the responsible regional council; these can also be downloaded from the websites of the Darmstadt, Giessen and Kassel regional councils.

The enforcement departments for occupational health and safety and safety technology at the Darmstadt, Giessen and Kassel regional councils are generally responsible for monitoring compliance with these regulations. They can also provide you with information on the implementation of legal regulations, exemptions or the application for permits.