Ian Sampson, training manager, DuPont Protection Technologies
In his recent ‘back to the dark ages’ pronouncement, David Cameron called for global action to combat the risks associated with untreatable bacteria. But what about the front-line workers that already face this risk on a daily basis? Effective personal protection is an essential element in the fight against deadly bacterial and viral pathogens.
A biological hazard -‘biohazard’ – is any biological micro-organism or agent that poses a threat to humans, animals or the environment. Although tiny and invisible to the naked eye, micro-organisms play a huge and profound role in the overall global ecosystem. For human and animal lifeforms, the most directly beneficial roles pertain to their symbiotic behaviour in the digestion of food and the part they play in the immune system. Across the wider environment the principal contribution of micro-organisms relates to their uncanny ability to recycle the primary elements that make up all living systems especially carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen.
In the vast majority of cases, these micro-organisms are either beneficial or completely harmless to man. However, a small proportion are highly dangerous, sometimes deadly, and with their tenacity, ease of transmission, ease of replication, tendency to mutate, complete invisibility and unremittingly invasive behaviour, can present a unique challenge when it comes to their suppression and eradication. According to the World Health Organisation dangerous pathogens such as bacteria, viruses and parasites are responsible for over 16 per cent of the annual deaths worldwide1.
Where biohazards occur
Bio-hazards can present themselves in numerous ways and their very omnipresence can make them very difficult to manage and control. Biohazards may be bacterial, viral, parasitic or fungal and any source materials, such as contaminated blood, tainted packaging and dirty work surfaces are potential bio-risks. Causal origins of biological hazards range from decaying foodstuffs and faecal bacteria to highly virulent medical wastes and germ warfare agents. All of these biohazards and many others relate to the presence of infectious biological agents and biologically-derived toxins or contaminated materials including organic dusts and mould spores.
The need for protective procedures
Exposure to biological contaminants can have very serious and rapidly escalating health consequences so there is little room for complacency when it comes to putting protective procedures in place. Biohazards can present themselves in practically any environment. However some environments and occupations are more susceptible than others. In developed economies the main sources of controlled biological risk include the healthcare, industrial, agricultural and military sectors.
Protective barrier clothing
Employers have a legal duty to assess the risk employees face from infections within their workplace and provide suitable precautions to protect their health. The vast number of potentially dangerous micro-organisms and the huge range of possible biological risk conditions means that the selection of personal protection equipment (PPE) and clothing for personnel can be a very complex exercise.
In addition to effective protection when dealing with naturally spread infections and diseases, there is a need for protection whenever biological agents are being studied, manufactured, handled, distributed, administered, neutered, removed or disposed of. The types of sites where these activities can occur include hospital facilities, defence and military establishments, medical and biological research laboratories and biotechnology production facilities. Bio-hazard precautions are also necessary in a wide range of extemporaneous and accidental situations such as pest control activities, sewage overspills in domestic and commercial premises, flood management operations, forestry work, bio-terrorism responses, crime and trauma scene cleaning and livestock contamination events.
Although PPE should be considered a last-line of defence against biological hazards, even where engineered containment and other solutions are in place PPE will often be considered as an essential back-up in many biological risk environments. This is particularly the case in healthcare settings where it always makes sense to manage the risk with a belts and braces approach combining safe working practices and appropriate PPE.
Seeking guidance
Biological threats are classified into four categories2 and, due to the extremely wide compass of risk involved with infective agents, it is absolutely essential that expert guidance is sought when selecting appropriate PPE for the different levels of hazard. For example, for the lowest Level 1 bio-risk it might be appropriate to simply wear lightweight coveralls in conjunction with barrier gloves and a disposable facemask, while with Level 4 risks it is mandatory to wear a fully encapsulated Type 1 gas-tight suit fitted with a dedicated air supply as part of a fully integrated isolation ensemble.
Summary
When facing the most dangerous micro-organisms, having the right protection is a key to survival. In the relentless war against the more dangerous members of the single-cell community keeping workers adequately protected is a battle we can’t afford to lose.
References
(1) World Health Organisation: The Global Burden of Disease: 2004 Update.
(2) Refs: United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and EU Directive 2000/54/EC.
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