Biological agents
Activities with biological agents (including human and animal material) fall under the Working Conditions Act (ARBO legislation). This legislation has been translated into various procedures and work instructions that can be found on this page.
When it comes to activities with biological agents, a distinction is made between two types of actions. Working with material that can contain microorganisms (non-targeted activities) and working with a specific microorganism (targeted activities). For the targeted activities, it has been agreed that a risk assessment will be carried out together with the Biological Safety Officer (BSO).
The BSO offers support to researchers when working with biological agents. The aim is to create safe working conditions for employees and the environment when working with biological agents by:
- Carrying out risk assessments
- Instructing, educating, and advising on experiments with biological agents and the transport of biological agents
- Identifying unsafe activities or activities that conflict with the Working Conditions Act
- Inspecting classified laboratories
- Advising on (re)construction of classified laboratories
Deployment in the event of incidents or calamities.
See below for procedures, work instructions, and forms relevant to working with biological agents (not genetically modified):