ABSTRACT
Biological hazards in the workplace have been a topic of study, discussion and publications for many centuries. Biological hazards include bacteria, fungi, archaea, protozoans, viruses, prions, plant particles, organically derived dusts such as wood dust, insect parts and faeces, and allergens such as animal dander, dust mite or pollen. Allergens encompass a wide range of biological contaminants that cause asthma and other allergic responses in workers. Other biological hazards that could be present in occupational environments include organisms from the kingdom Protista, which includes the protozoans that cause giardia and cryptosporidiosis. Respiratory diseases associated with exposure to biological hazards can be divided into allergic and non-allergic diseases. Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Biosecurity regulates the importation of biological materials from overseas. Controls in the context of biological hazards follow the standard hierarchy of controls model, beginning with elimination as the best form of control.
