Model Code of Practice on Biological Hazards at Work

Safe Work Australia Media

Published March 6th, 2026

Detected March 13th, 2026

Summary

Safe Work Australia has released the first Model Code of Practice globally on managing biological hazards at work. This guidance assists employers in protecting workers and others from exposure to biological hazards like viruses, bacteria, and mould, which can cause injury, illness, and disease across all industries.

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What changed

Safe Work Australia has issued a new Model Code of Practice providing practical guidance for employers on managing the risks of biological hazards in the workplace. This code, the first of its kind globally, details how to protect workers and others from exposure to biological agents such as viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi. It emphasizes that employers have a duty under work health and safety laws to manage these risks and outlines baseline controls like maintaining a clean workplace, training workers on hygiene, and encouraging vaccination.

This guidance is intended for all workplaces where exposure to biological hazards is possible. Employers should review the code to identify and implement effective controls to meet their WHS duties. While the code itself is non-binding, adherence to its principles is expected to satisfy legal obligations. No specific compliance deadline is mentioned, but employers are expected to manage these risks proactively.

What to do next

Review the Model Code of Practice: Managing the risks of biological hazards at work.
Assess workplace for potential biological hazards.
Implement appropriate control measures as outlined in the code.

Source document (simplified)

06 Mar 2026

The model Code of Practice: Managing the risks of biological hazards at work, the first Code of its kind in the world, provides practical guidance to assist employers with protecting workers and others from exposure to biological hazards in their workplace.

Biological hazards such as viruses, bacteria, parasites and certain types of fungi (like mould) can be found in all industries and workplaces. Exposure to biological hazards can result in injury, illness and disease.

Workers may be at risk of exposure if their work involves close contact with:

other people
animals
contaminated or organic materials, or
environments with vectors, such as mosquitoes, ticks or mites. Exposure can occur when biological hazards are part of the work conducted (e.g. farmers handling sick animals), associated with the work environment (e.g. outdoor work in areas with mosquitoes), or brought into the workplace from the community (e.g. communicable diseases like the common cold).

Under work health and safety (WHS) laws, employers have a duty to manage the risks arising from biological hazards as much as possible. While the types of biological hazards and control measures that can be implemented vary by workplace, some baseline controls can significantly reduce risk, including:

maintaining a clean workplace with good air quality
training workers on hygiene practices, and
encouraging vaccination for vaccine preventable diseases The model Code offers guidance on identifying and implementing effective controls to meet WHS duties. It is broad in scope and applies to any workplace where workers or others may be exposed to biological hazards.

Read the Code here.