HAZARDOUS BIOLOGICAL AGENTS (HBA) ASSESSMENT
Any workplace where exposure to harmful bacteria, viruses, fungi or other micro-organisms may occur needs a hazardous biological agents assessment. That goes well beyond laboratories. The assessment shows where and how employees may be exposed, and whether the controls are adequate.
Typical examples are hospitals and clinics, emergency services, mortuaries, sewage works, refuse collection and landfills, farms, abattoirs, veterinary practices, food processing and cleaning services. We assess the work, the exposure routes and the existing controls, and take surface swabs where they answer a clear question. We are based in Pretoria and work in all nine provinces.
WHY BIOLOGICAL AGENTS ARE A RISK
Biological risks are often invisible, and where contact is incidental to the work, they can go unrecognised. Effects include respiratory infections, allergic reactions, and skin and eye irritation. Some agents can spread to the community. Annexure A to the Hazardous Biological Agents Regulations, 2022 places Mycobacterium tuberculosis and SARS-CoV-2 in Group 3 of four risk groups. Pregnant, immunocompromised and vulnerable employees may face a higher risk.
For the business, the cost shows up as illness-related absenteeism, lower morale and outbreaks that disrupt operations. There are no exposure limits for biological agents, so the risk assessment and verified controls carry the weight.
The Hazardous Biological Agents (HBA) Regulations, 2022 apply wherever an HBA is produced, processed, used, handled, stored or transported, or where exposure to one may occur (regulation 2(1)). Regulation 18 withdrew the 2001 regulations, so procedures that still cite them need updating. The 2022 regulations require:
• Risk assessment (regulation 6): documented, done by a competent person and reviewed at least every 24 months. Review it immediately after a process change, an incident or a medical surveillance finding linked to an HBA
• Exposure monitoring (regulation 7): by a competent person, at intervals the risk assessment sets, at least every 24 months and after any change
• Control measures (regulation 12(c)): examined and tested at least every 24 months, following written protocols
• Records (regulation 9): risk assessments and monitoring reports kept for at least 40 years
A competent person has knowledge, training, experience and, where applicable, qualifications specific to HBAs. The regulations do not require an approved inspection authority. Our free Compliance Gap Assessment shows which assessments your workplace needs and which are overdue.
WHAT THE HBA REGULATIONS REQUIRE
HOW WE CONDUCT A BIOLOGICAL RISK ASSESSMENT
We assess biological agent risks per area and task, and use surface swabs only where they answer a clear question. Christo de Wet leads every assessment. He is an occupational hygienist registered with the Southern African Institute for Occupational Hygiene (SAIOH), ROH 0953, with 15 years of experience.
Before the visit, send us process descriptions and cleaning schedules, and arrange access to the areas of concern.
On site, we look at which agents may be present and in what form, the routes of exposure and the work itself. We also check the controls in place, how well they work and how they could fail. As regulation 6(3) requires, we consider the effects on pregnant, immunocompromised and vulnerable employees.
Where swabbing helps, for example to check cleaning and disinfection, we plan the sampling with you and agree the acceptance criteria with the laboratory first. A field blank shows whether handling caused contamination. Swabs go promptly to a SANAS-accredited laboratory, with a chain-of-custody form. Sampling before and after cleaning shows what the cleaning achieved. Where airborne agents are a concern, we can also use air plates. The report then gives practical recommendations for your regulation 6(5) action plan.
- • The work activities and areas where exposure to an HBA may occur
• The agents likely to be present, their risk groups and the routes of exposure
• The existing controls, how well they work and how they could fail
• The effects on pregnant, immunocompromised and vulnerable employees
• Surface swab results, interpreted against acceptance criteria agreed with the laboratory, and air plate results, where taken
• Practical recommendations for your regulation 6(5) action plan
• A report written for management, SHEQ teams and auditors
What affects the quote: the time on site, set by the size of the site and the number of work areas, and travel to site. Each swab or air plate sent for laboratory analysis is priced as one item, including media and analysis.
WHAT YOUR HBA ASSESSMENT INCLUDES
- Which workplaces need a hazardous biological agents assessment?
Any workplace where a hazardous biological agent is produced, processed, used, handled, stored or transported, or where exposure to one may occur (regulation 2(1)). That includes healthcare, sewage and waste work, farms, abattoirs, veterinary practices, food processing and cleaning services, not only laboratories.
How often must a biological risk assessment be reviewed?
At least every 24 months (regulation 6). Review it immediately if it is no longer valid or a process or method changes. An incident involving a hazardous biological agent, or a medical surveillance finding linked to one, also triggers a review.
Who may do a hazardous biological agents risk assessment?
A competent person with knowledge, training, experience and, where applicable, qualifications specific to hazardous biological agents. The same applies to exposure monitoring (regulations 6 and 7). No approved inspection authority is required.
When is surface swab sampling worth doing?
When it answers a clear question: verifying cleaning and disinfection, investigating infections linked to shared facilities, confirming a clean-up after a spill, or supporting the risk assessment. A swab shows which target organisms were recovered from a surface at that moment, not what employees breathe. A negative result is not proof of absence.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Free online tool: Compliance Gap Assessment. See what is due at your workplace
Occupational hygiene for hospitals, clinics and laboratories
Occupational hygiene for abattoirs and meat processing
Occupational hygiene for food, beverage and cold chain
Which workplaces fall under the Hazardous Biological Agents Regulations?
What must a biological agents risk assessment cover?
Surface swab sampling: what it shows and when it helps
What is an AIA inspection in South Africa, and which AIA do you need?
FREE TOOL AND ARTICLES
REQUEST A QUOTE
Tell us about the work, the areas of concern and any complaints or incidents, and we will quote the assessment and any swab sampling. Travel is quoted upfront, anywhere in South Africa.
