Coronavirus & Biological Hazards

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Introduction

Recently, infectious diseases are found to be most frequent among occupational diseases. Discovery of occupational infectious diseases had heaps of ripple effects within the field of occupational medication and industrial hygiene. Occupational infections, including parasitic diseases, can limit the vary of applied diagnostic and certification procedures solely to diseases evoked by pathogenic agents or by exposures occurring within the occupational environment. In some cases, it becomes tough or perhaps not possible identify the real cause of patients’ complaints. Occupational biohazards are infectious agents or hazardous unsafe biological materials that exert harmful effects on workers’ health, either directly thorough damage to the working environment, and it also can embody medical waste or samples of a micro-organism, virus, or toxin from a biological source.

The occupational infectious diseases are commonly found as part of a systemic infection involving the respiratory organs in immunocompromised workers. There has been a lot of discussion on biological hazards at work, their diagnosis, and treatment. Known etiological causes of the disease are increasing and include occupational factors. Two main groups of biological agents are regarded as occupational biohazards:

Allergenic and/or toxic agents forming bioaerosols, causing occupational diseases of the respiratory tract and skin, primarily in agricultural workers; and
Agents causing zoonoses and other infectious diseases that could be spread by tick or insect vectors, through various exposure routes. Bioaerosols are biological particles of organic dust and/or droplets suspended in the air, such as viruses, bacteria, endotoxin, fungi, secondary metabolites of fungi, particles of feces, bodies of mites and insects, and feather, hair, feces, and urine of birds and mammals. They often induce disorders of the respiratory system or skin. Bioaerosols are a main health problem in agriculture, medical or veterinary facilities, diagnostic laboratories, plants producing biofuel from rape blossoms, the metallurgical industry, libraries, and even art conservation.

As corona virus, the cause of Atypical Pneumonia, it has brought unprecedented challenge to the safety and health of the frontline workers in the medical profession, healthcare services, cleaning service and property management all over the world. These frontline workers remain steadfastly at their posts during this very difficult time are under the constant threat of the killer virus. The Occupational Safety and Health Council has prepared Practical Guide to provide guidance on the proper use of personal protective equipment and the sterilizing agents, so that these dedicated workers can protect themselves adequately in the fight against this biological hazard.

What is Biological hazard?

Biological hazards refer to organisms or organic matters produced through these organisms which can be harmful to human health. These consist of bacteria, fungi, toxins from biological sources, spores, parasites, viruses, pathogenic micro-organisms, bio-active substances and protein. In general, there are three important routes of entry for those micro-organisms into our body. For example, through the respiratory system, transmission through contact with body fluids of the infected, or with contaminated objects. The harmful effects posed to human health with the aid of these biological hazards are mainly of three types – infections, allergy, and poisoning.

Work-Places where people may come into contact with biological hazards :

Healthcare services.
Medical staff: Dental worker, embalmer, health care worker
Cleaning staff.
laboratory technicians in the medical profession. Cleaning services.
Property management.
Employees in environmental hygiene services such as liquid waste and rubbish collection.
Fishery, Animal breeder, animal caretaker, animal scientist, farmer and rancher, farmworker, laboratory animal worker, hunter and trapper, wildlife biologist and veterinary services
Manufacturing industries that use plant or animal based raw materials such as paper, textile, leather and furs.
Agriculture, forestry, horticulture, animal food and fodder production
Working areas with air conditioning systems and high humidity (e.g., textile industry, print industry, and paper production)

*Any microorganism breeding inside the air-conditioning system or cooling towers may spread in the workplace through the air-conditioning system.

*In the office building, the furnishing materials like carpets and wallpapers, the potted plants and places that are wet and damp or utensils that hold water are likely to be the breeding ground for microorganisms.

Building and construction industry, processing of natural materials such as clay, straw, and reed; building redevelopment [13].

Classification of biological hazard:

Biological hazards are classified for transportation according to UN number:

Category A, UN 2814 – Infectious substance, affecting humans: An infectious substance in a form capable of causing permanent disability or life-threatening or fatal disease in otherwise healthy humans or animals when exposure to it occurs.
Category A, UN 2900 – Infectious substance, affecting animals (only): An infectious substance that is not in a form generally capable of causing permanent disability or life-threatening or fatal disease in otherwise healthy humans and animals when exposure to themselves occurs.
Category B, UN 3373 – Biological substance transported for diagnostic or investigative purposes. Regulated Medical Waste, UN 3291 – Waste or reusable material derived from medical treatment of an animal or human, or from biomedical research, which includes the production and testing.

Risk Groups:

The risks are categorized into different risk groups to simplify how risks from different living organisms should be managed.

Risk Group 1 – (low individual and community risk). The hazards included in the first risk group are not known to make humans ill; the group includes bee venom, as well as various toxins secreted by plants, snake venom, etc.
Risk Group 2 – (moderate individual risk, limited community risk). The hazards included in the second risk group may make humans ill and are thus a risk to the health of employees but are not accompanied by the risk of infection for the wider population; there are efficient prevention and treatment methods for these hazards. This includes legionellosis or legionnaires’ disease and Lyme borreliosis. COVID-19 is caused by a novel coronavirus which is today officially known as SARS-CoV-2 (Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2). Coronaviruses are currently placed in the second risk group in the classification of biological hazards, but the entire directive concerning these issues is being revised and updated by the European Commission and it is known that they are planning to move the older family members of COVID-19, such as SARS (Severe acute respiratory syndrome) and MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome) to the third risk group. Thus, it cannot be ruled out that the virus which causes COVID-19 will be consequently classified to a higher risk group.
Risk Group 3 – (high individual risk, low community risk). The hazards of the third risk group may cause severe illnesses for humans and are thus a serious threat to the health of the employee and may be accompanied by the risk of infection for the wider population, but there are efficient prevention and treatment methods for these hazards. This risk group includes hepatitis, or jaundice, and pneumonia.
Risk Group 4 – (high individual and community risk). The hazards of the fourth risk group cause severe illnesses for humans, are thus a serious threat to the health of the employee and may be accompanied by the risk of infection for the wider population; there are usually no efficient prevention and treatment methods for these hazards. This risk group includes the Ebola virus.

Biosafety levels

There are also four Biosafety levels which give the containment precautions which need to be used to control different biohazards. The levels of containment range from the lowest biosafety level 1 to the highest at level 4.

Biosafety Level 1 – Little containment or segregation of the facility but with precautions such as separation and labelling of waste materials.
Biosafety Level 2 – Staff have specific training in handling pathogenic agents, access to the laboratory is limited when work is being conducted, extreme precautions are taken with contaminated sharp items; and certain procedures in which infectious aerosols or splashes may be created are conducted in biological safety cabinets.
Biosafety Level 3 – All procedures involving the manipulation of infectious materials are conducted within biological safety cabinets or other physical containment devices, or by personnel wearing appropriate personal protective clothing and equipment. The laboratory has special engineering and design features such as double-door access zones.
Biosafety Level 4 – The facility is either in a separate building or in a controlled area within a building. The facility has controlled ventilation maintaining it under negative pressure. All activities are carried out in Class III biological safety cabinets, or Class II biological safety cabinets used with one-piece positive pressure personnel suits ventilated by a life support system.

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses which may cause illness in animals or humans. In humans, several coronaviruses are known to cause respiratory infections ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The most recently discovered coronavirus causes coronavirus disease COVID-19.

COVID-19 is the infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus. This new virus and disease were unknown before the outbreak began in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. COVID-19 is now a pandemic affecting many countries globally.

People can catch COVID-19 from others who have the virus.
The disease spreads primarily from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth, which are expelled when a person with COVID-19 coughs, sneezes, or speaks. These droplets are relatively heavy, do not travel far and quickly sink to the ground. People can catch COVID-19 if they breathe in these droplets from a person infected with the virus. This is why it is important to stay at least 1 meter (3 feet) away from others.

These droplets can land on objects and surfaces around the person such as tables, doorknobs and handrails.

People can become infected by touching objects or surfaces that has the virus on it, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth. This is why it is important to wash your hands regularly with soap and water or clean with alcohol-based hand rub.

Covid-19 symptoms

The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, dry cough, and tiredness. Some patients may have aches and pains, nasal congestion, sore throat or diarrhea. These symptoms are usually mild and begin gradually. Some people become infected but only have very mild symptoms. Most people (about 80%) recover from the disease without needing hospital treatment. Around 1 out of every 5 people who gets COVID-19 becomes seriously ill and develops difficulty breathing. Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like high blood pressure, heart and lung problems, diabetes, or cancer, are at higher risk of developing serious illness. However, anyone can catch COVID-19 and become seriously ill. Even people with very mild symptoms of COVID-19 can transmit the virus. People of all ages who experience fever, cough and difficulty breathing should seek medical attention.

How to protect the work environment from Covid-19?

Make sure the workplaces are clean and hygienic Surfaces (e.g. desks and tables) and objects (e.g. telephones, keyboards) need to be wiped with disinfectant regularly.
Promote regular and thorough hand washing by employees, contractors and customers by
displaying posters promoting hand washing, put sanitizing hand rub dispensers in prominent places around the workplace and to make sure these dispensers are regularly refilled.
Promote good respiratory hygiene in the workplace by displaying posters promoting respiratory hygiene.
Provide face masks and paper tissues at the workplaces, for those who develop a runny nose or cough at work, along with closed bins.
For anyone who need to travel to work stay at home and to work from home.
Any employee with serious health issue stays work at home.
Provide good internet connection for employees that work from home.
Keep communicating and promoting the message that people need to stay at home even if they have just mild symptoms of Covid-19.
Make clear to employees that they will be able to count this time off as sick leave.

Conclusion

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus. Most people infected with the COVID-19 virus will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without requiring special treatment. Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer are more likely to develop serious illness.

Reference

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Wikipedia. Biological hazard [Internet]. San Francisco (CA); 2010 [cited 2014 Mar 10]. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_hazard.
Liu Y.C., Zhou S.H., Ling L. Aetiological factors contributing to the development of primary laryngeal aspergillosis in immunocompetent patients. J Med Microbiol. 2010; 59:1250–1253.
Ławniczek-Wałczyk A., Gorny R.L. Endotoxins and β-glucans as markers of microbiological contamination – characteristics, detection, and environmental exposure. Ann Agric Environ Med. 2010; 17:193–208.
Jacobsen G., Schaumburg I., Sigsgaard T., Schlunssen V. Non-malignant respiratory diseases and occupational exposure to wood dust. Part I. Fresh wood and mixed wood industry. Ann Agric Environ Med. 2010; 17:15–28.
Haz-Map. Control of communicable diseases manual; “Occupational Infections” in Rom; “Occupational Infections” in LaDou. p. 280–1 [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): U.S. National Library of Medicine; 2012 [cited 2014 Mar 25]. Available from: http://www.haz-map.com/infect.htm.
https://www.tooelu.ee/en/Employee/Working-environment/Hazards-of-the-working-environment/Biological-hazards/Corona-virus-as-a-biological-hazard
https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/who-rights-roles-respon-hw-covid-19.pdf?sfvrsn=bcabd401_0

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Coronavirus & Biological Hazards

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