Humans are animals that exist within their environments, and elements of that environment may be hazardous and so expose humans to risks. Workers engage with different duties of work and so are exposed to and interact with different hazards depending on that work. For some workers, those hazards can be biological. Biological hazards are hazards that arise from organic matter, which may be living such as bacteria or viruses, be biological byproducts such as urine or saliva, or which may be bio-active substances. The workers most likely to be exposed to biological hazards are those in healthcare, childcare and community services, who are most often exposed to human faeces, urine, saliva, and blood; those in forestry, fishing, and animal husbandry who are exposed to animal-borne and environmental diseases; those working in laboratories where contagious diseases are studied; and those working with live animal products. Biological hazards can affect the worker's health and wellbeing as well as their participatory capacity as easily as physical exposures like lifting and carrying or energetic exposures like light.
Biological hazards arise from biological sources. Therefore, wherever a worker is obliged to interact with living or dead biological or organic matter, there is the potential for a biological exposure. The most common exposure throughout the workforce is exposure to human biological matter, which most often occurs in healthcare, childcare, community services, and in cleaning and hygiene roles, where typical hazards are human faeces, urine, saliva, and blood. Workers in other contexts may also be exposed to these hazards in adverse circumstances, such as a security worker who is spat on during an assault, a chef who cuts their hand and exposes other workers as well as potential diners to blood in food preparation areas, or an office worker whose sneeze carries over into their neighbour's cubicle. Workers can therefore be exposed to biological risks from many different sources, and themselves can expose others to biological risk.
Biological hazards also influence how organisations design their systems for preventing harm and supporting safe work. Because these hazards originate in the materials and conditions that workers must handle, they require approaches that focus on anticipating how exposure might occur during ordinary tasks as well as during unusual events. This includes understanding how biological material can be transferred through touch, droplets, or contaminated surfaces, and how these pathways differ across work settings. A worker who handles waste in a community facility faces different patterns of exposure from a worker who assists patients in a clinic, yet both rely on clear procedures, suitable equipment, and well‑maintained environments to limit the likelihood of contact with harmful material. Effective management of biological hazards therefore depends on identifying the points in a task where exposure could occur, assessing how likely that exposure is, and determining what measures can reasonably reduce the chance of harm without disrupting the work itself.
The presence of biological hazards also affects the responsibilities of employers and workers in maintaining safe conditions. Employers are expected to provide training that helps workers recognise situations where biological material may be present, understand how to handle it safely, and know what to do if an exposure occurs. Workers contribute by following established practices, reporting incidents promptly, and supporting a culture where safety is treated as a shared obligation rather than an individual burden. When these elements are in place, workplaces are better able to prevent illness, reduce disruptions caused by staff absences, and maintain confidence among workers and the people they serve. Considering biological hazards as part of the broader landscape of occupational health and safety ensures that they are not treated as isolated concerns but as integral factors that influence the overall functioning and resilience of a workplace.
Each workplace is different, with different demands, methods of business, and is staffed by people whose capacities, needs, and risk profiles are different. Managing ergonomic, environmental, and occupational health and safety challenges requires a business to examine and engage with the ecosystem of factors that give rise to risk, and how that risk may affect people. Each workplace is different and so sometimes the same problem will require different solutions. This applies to workers as well - every person is different and so may require different support, supervision, or resources to perform comfortably and sustainably. Under Work Health and Safety law, consultation with the workforce, the control of risk as far as is reasonably practicable, and the provision of information, training, instruction and support to the worker by the workplace, is essential to meet obligations to provide workers with a workplace that is as free of risk as far is reasonably practicable.
In our capacity as consultants, Atlas Physio will explore and scope the business and its needs, examining how exposures, risks, and processes contribute to the hazard ecosystem, best inform the design and arrangement of procedural, policy-based, and practical risk controls. Our solutions are tailored to the needs of those with whom we work, implemented in a simple, sustainable, and supportive fashion, designed to be robust and resilient, and to support the ongoing life of the business as well as the sustainable wellbeing of the workers who undertake the day to day activities of work.
At Atlas Physio, we provide reporting, structured control, and ongoing management of risk onsite, on the road, and wherever work is done. We are open seven days a week, and are happy to offer a brief complimentary discussion to explore the needs of your business and your workers if you are an employer, and your needs if you are a worker. Reach out today to arrange a discussion and take the first step toward managing risk and working safely, supported by expertise that is practical, reliable, and designed to deliver lasting results.