Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and the Commission have agreed to classify SARS-CoV-2 as a risk 3 biological agent.

This classification comes with objection,  primarily from the Employment and Social Affairs Committee (EMPL) because they believe that the virus should be classified in the highest risk group, risk group 4, to ensure the maximum level of protection for the health and safety or workers.

Directive 2000/54/EC outlines the minimum requirements to protect workers exposed to biological agents at work. The Directive categorizes biological agents in four risks groups, where group 1 is the least likely to cause human disease and group 4 is a serious hazard and will cause serious human disease. Biological agents categorized as group 4 usually has no effective prophylaxis or treatment available.

The Commission’s decision to classify SARS-CoV-2 as a risk group 3 biological agent is adopted and in force. Member States must adopt and implement the Directive by November 24, 2020. Compliance with the minimum requirements are designed to guarantee a better standard of safety and health to protect workers from the risks of exposure of biological agents.

Nexreg Compliance currently specializes in ensuring the compliance of products related to COVID-19 (hand sanitizers, detergents, disinfectants etc). For further information on how Nexreg can guarantee your product compliance for import/export, contact us.