Biological COSHH Risk Assessments

This guidance is provided to help you carry out your biological COSHH risk assessments. Health and safety, animal health, plant health and environmental legislation require employers to protect people and the environment against risks from work with biological hazards. The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH) is the main law which requires controls for work with biological hazards to protect people, while the Specified Animal Pathogens Order (SAPO) requires controls for work with animal pathogens although there are many other relevant animal, plant and environmental laws. There is detailed guidance on work with biological hazards which must be followed that is available from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Scottish Government, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and other agencies. You need to read the relevant guidance if you are working with biological hazards and to understand biological COSHH risk assessment and control. Here are some useful websites.


There is extensive guidance for work with biological hazards, biological COSHH risk assessment and controls for protection of people and the environment. Please read this guidance since they will help you understand how to best do your risk assessments and safely carry out the work.

 

 

These guidance documents and many others on work with biological hazards are available on the HSE, Scottish Government and DEFRA websites. You may need to use guidance on specific hazards on other websites. Please contact your safety coordinator if you need advice on biological COSHH risk assessments and controls.