Risk Assessment

Introduction to Risk assessment

Definition:

Risk assessment is a method used to recognize the hazardeous features of known infectious agents or materials. To identify those agents and materials which are responsible for laboratory associated infections. To select the appropriate precautions, evaluate the proficiencies of workers conerning safe practices and safety equipments.

Importance of Risk assessment

Risk assessment gives us information to select the biosafety levels, in which we can classify them on the basis of risk group classification of agents. Containment includes standard microbiological practices, safety equipments, facility safeguards and design. Thus containment is the basic objective for biosafety levels. [1]

Risk assessment gives us information to recongnize the interventions that leads to the improvement of health and safety to the workers, public and to the environment. Risk assessment also can be used to identify data gaps and objective research that should have the greatest value in terms of public health impact. [2]

Risk assessment provides wide information to develop a standard microbiological and clinical laboratory. Have a great importance in medical field.

Microbiological risk assessments have an important role in the safety management of food in food industries, and in pharmaceutical industries. [3]

Types of Risk assessment

Quantitative Risk assessment

Quantitative risk assessment is used for particular purposes. This menthod provides numerical evaluation of risks.

Qualitative Risk assessment

This is the simplest method to evaluate the risks. By this method we can assess the physical, chemical, and biological hazards qualitatively. We...

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...This procedure apply for equivalent procedure report for BSL-3 requirements, this course of action is applies to Agent which are certified by NIH, who provides the certification facility services. Only NIH accridited certifying Agents are allowed to apply for equivalency request procedure. [18]

Conclusion

It has been concluded that Risk assessment for BSL-3 is the basic method which evaluates the hazards associated with those microbial agents which are assigned to BSL-3 by knowing their routes of transmission, and their ability to cause diseases. To identify the hazards associated with the laboratory procedures. To select the special practices, precautions and equipments specified for BSL-3, to evaluate the proficiencies of workers concerning safe practices and safety equipments. Risk assessment provides the basic structure to construct a standard BSL-3 laboratory.