Work Environment
Procedure:
Chemical and Biological Work Environment
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The purpose of this procedure is to ensure systematic prevention of all relevant environmental, safety, and occupational health risks when working with chemical and biological agents, including compliance with all relevant legislation at every stage of the work, such as procurement, transportation, manufacturing, use, handling, development, recycling, and disposal.
The procedure also aims to ensure a certain level of uniformity in how prevention is managed at SDU and to promote a greater degree of transferability (knowledge, methods, tools, assessments, terminology, etc.) between units. The procedure applies to both scientific and technical administrative tasks, except for uses that can be equated with private use.*
* The requirement for chemical risk assessment, etc., is exempted when the use of agents can be equated with private use.
This requires that the risk of exposure is low, the scope/duration is very limited, and the method of use resembles private use.
This may, for example, be the case with:
- Use of dishwasher tablets in a standard household dishwasher that runs once a day.
- Occasional and brief use of Whiteboard Cleaner.
The Director is responsible for ensuring that this procedure is agreed upon in SDU's Main Occupational Health and Safety Committee.
The Head of HR Occupational Health and Development is responsible for ensuring that the procedure is accessible and communicated to all relevant stakeholders.
The Heads of Department are responsible for ensuring that risk assessments are conducted for all work involving chemical and biological agents, and that the necessary training and instructions are developed and implemented. The responsibility for carrying out practical tasks can typically be delegated to research/unit leaders. The practical tasks must be performed by individuals with the necessary skills and experience; if required, these must be sourced externally.
The Occupational Health and Safety Groups play a particular role in communication and advising on this procedure, as well as in monitoring and controlling whether the safety measures are effective and adhered to, for example, by conducting safety inspections.
The Institutes' specialists/experts contribute with professional input to the shared SDU guidelines. HR Occupational Health and Development contributes with editorial adjustments and communication of the shared SDU guidelines.
The Main Occupational Health and Safety Committee assesses the need for adjustments to this procedure based on the evaluation of its effectiveness, which is received in connection with the annual discussions at the wet faculties.
Suggestions for improvements to the procedure can be sent to SDU HR, Occupational Health and Development: arbejdsmiljoe@sdu.dk, who will assess and, as far as possible, incorporate the suggestions.
Updated: 7/4-2026
To ensure a high level of prevention, a risk assessment must be conducted as part of the planning process and before initiating any work involving the use of chemical and biological agents. The risk assessment must be documented.
Prior to the risk assessment, it is essential to have knowledge of the hazardous properties of the agents and the process-related risks to ensure that these can be addressed by the safety measures.
The principles of risk assessment are illustrated and described in the process diagram below:
