Risk assessment

It is essential to address the potential risks to health and safety in any workplace by completing a general risk assessment. In addition to this and their legal responsibilities under COSHH, employers should also do the following to determine whether specific risk controls against BBV exposure are required:

Identify the hazards

Are there any sources of blood and body fluids in the workplace?
Are there any activities being undertaken that may involve exposure to these blood and body fluids?
Are the blood and body fluids a source of BBV?

Decide who might be harmed and how

Who may be involved in the activities posing risk?
How may they be affected if exposed to sources of BBV?

Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions

How likely is it that harm will result from exposure?
Factors to take into account include:
- standard operating procedures eg universal precautions
- frequency and extent of potential exposure
- characteristics of the organism eg survival times, infectious dose

Record your findings and implement them and any relevant control measures, to include consideration of:

Policy and procedures eg sharps policy, decontamination policy, spills and fumigation procedures
Engineering controls and work practices eg microbiological safety cabinets, planned preventative maintenance (eg cleaning, inspection, maintenance)
Training in safe operating procedures
Use of personal protective equipment (PPE)
Immunisation – a preventative control measure

Regular reassessment of identified risks and any control measures, for example:

Review of risk assessment and update if necessary
Review and repeat of training, as necessary
Review of immunisation status
Identify any significant changes (eg working practices, safer sharps)
Assess any new information

Further information on the key elements of the risk assessment process can be found in: Risk management .

When assessing the risks associated with potential exposure to BBV, don't overcomplicate the process. In many organisations, the risks are well known and the necessary control measures are easy to apply. Most employers should already know whether, and how, their employees could potentially be exposed to BBV. If so, checks should be made to ensure that reasonable precautions are in place to avoid exposure.