The Approved List of Biological Agents classifies biological agents (bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi and prions) into one of four hazard groups (HG) according to the following criteria:
- Their ability to cause infection (in otherwise healthy individuals)
- The severity of the disease that may result
- The risk that infection will spread to the community
- The availability of effective vaccines and treatment
The Approved List is an approved document that works in conjunction with the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH) to provide the regulatory framework controlling the risk from biological agents at work. Only those agents classified into Groups 2-4 are listed, however, simply because an agent is not listed this does not mean it is automatically a Hazard Group 1 (HG1) agent.
HSE has recently published the fifth edition of the Approved List of Biological Agents on behalf of the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens. The changes to this edition include:
- Previously unlisted viruses have been classified and added to the list
- The hazard group classification for existing agents has been reviewed and reclassified where appropriate
- Further information has been included to clarify the classification of some agents
- If a biological agent is also assigned a classification under the Specified Animal Pathogens Order (SAPO), this is now indicated on the list
- Advice on available vaccines has been updated
- Improvements to style and structure