Biological hazards in the workplace arise from exposure to bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microorganisms that can threaten workers’ health. To effectively prevent and manage these risks, both national systems and enterprises must adopt comprehensive strategies, including appropriate legislation, strong institutional frameworks, reliable hazard identification tools, and effective workplace control measures. This training initiative aims to support these efforts by raising awareness, strengthening institutional capacity, and guiding enterprise-level interventions to mitigate biological risks.

Grounded in ILO Convention No. 192 concerning prevention and protection against biological hazards in the working environment,  and selected national practices, this course seeks to equip stakeholders with the knowledge and tools needed to identify biological risks faced by workers and to prioritize and implement appropriate actions at both the national and enterprise levels.

This course is intended for representatives of national authorities responsible for occupational safety and health (OSH), labour and OSH inspectors, policymakers, enterprise managers and OSH officers, as well as workers’ and employers’ representatives and training institutions involved in OSH. It is also relevant for anyone interested in the prevention and protection against biological hazards in the workplace, whether at the national or organizational level.

You will gain a solid understanding of biological hazards in the workplace, including how they arise, how they are classified, and how they affect workers’ health. The course will equip you with practical tools to identify and assess risks, understand national OSH systems and regulations, and implement effective preventive and protective measures at the enterprise level. You will also learn how to design workplace action plans aligned with international standards and good practices.

Upon completion of this course, participants are expected to have the ability to:

• Understand the nature and classification of biological hazards in various work environments.
• Identify the roles of national OSH systems in managing biological risks.
• Recognize responsibilities and good practices at the enterprise level for hazard prevention and worker protection.
• Use tools to identify hazards and assess risk levels and adopt preventive and protective measures.
• Design workplace action plans aligned with OSH principles and national guidelines.

Before starting this course, you will be asked to answer a series of questions related to the course to find out your level of knowledge on the subject.

This course includes the following 4 modules that include the following contents:

Module 1 | Introduction to Biological Hazards and their Prevention

Module 2 | National Strategies, Regulations and Surveillance Systems

Module 3 | Identification and Risk Assessment of Biological Hazards

Module 4 | Preventive and Protective Measures at the Enterprise Level

At the end of the careful reading of the 4 modules, you must take the final test to assess your understanding. If you pass this final test, you will obtain a Digital Certificate of the course.

When you self-register in the course it is very important that you put your correct name accurately, since the system will use this name provided when releasing the Digital Credentials of the course.

You should join this course to strengthen your ability to prevent and manage biological risks in the workplace, an issue that has become increasingly critical in light of recent global health challenges. The course provides up-to-date guidance based on ILO standards, helps build institutional and organizational capacity, and offers practical, actionable knowledge that can be applied immediately in your professional context. If you're interested, join.