New Biological Hazards Code of Practice 2026: What Australian Workplaces Need to Know

Safe Work Australia has released an updated Model Code of Practice for managing biological hazards in the workplace, and it’s a game-changer for industries across the country. If your workers are exposed to anything from Q fever on rural sites to bloodborne viruses in healthcare settings, this new code has direct implications for your risk management approach.

What’s Changed in the March 2026 Code?

The new Model Code of Practice:Managing the Risks of Biological Hazards at Work replaces outdated guidance and brings biological hazards management into line with modern workplace realities. It’s the first comprehensive national code addressing everything from zoonotic diseases on construction sites to mould in water-damaged buildings.

Key updates include:

• Expanded outdoor work guidance: Specific controls for mosquito-borne diseases, tick bites, and animal waste exposure (critical for solar farms, agriculture and construction)
• Climate change considerations: Recognition that extreme weather events increase biological hazard risks through flooding, heat and vector population changes
• Baseline control framework: Clear minimum standards for hygiene facilities, ventilation and cleaning that apply to all workplaces
• Psychosocial hazard integration: Acknowledgement that biological hazard exposure creates anxiety and stress, particularly for immunocompromised workers
• Post-pandemic clarity:Practical guidance on managing communicable disease risks brought into workplaces by workers and visitors
  
  

This code sits alongside existing hazard management frameworks, including SafeWork NSW’s Managing Risks of Chemicals in the Workplace and WorkSafe Victoria’s Compliance Code for Hazardous Substances.

Who’s Most Affected?

While biological hazards management applies to every workplace, certain industries face elevated risks:

Solar farms and renewable energy projects now have specific guidance on Q fever from kangaroo droppings in grass, vector-borne diseases during outdoor maintenance, and contaminated water sources. If you’re slashing grass around panel arrays in rural NSW or Queensland, the code explicitly addresses your risks.

Construction and demolition workers face tetanus exposure from soil contact, Legionella from poorly maintained cooling towers during refurbishment, and mould during remediation of water-damaged structures.

Agriculture and farming operations must manage Q fever, leptospirosis, Hendra virus exposure and organic dust risks. The code strengthens vaccination requirements and emphasises enclosed tractor cabins with HEPA filtration.

Healthcare and aged care settings get updated guidance on bloodborne virus protocols, sharps management and respiratory infection control-lessons learned from recent pandemic experience.

Waste management and recycling facilities face ongoing sharps injury risks, gastroenteritis exposure and mould contamination requiring robust PPE and hygiene protocols.

For a comprehensive overview of biological hazards by jurisdiction, SafeWork NSW provides industry-specific biological hazards guidance worth reviewing alongside the national code.

The Five-Step Biological Hazards Management Framework

The 2026 code establishes a clear hierarchy for managing biological risks:

1. Identify Your Hazards

Start by asking: What biological hazards exist where your workers operate? This means looking at:

• Work activities (handling animals, human biological materials, contaminated soil or water?)
• Work environment (outdoor sites with vectors, poorly ventilated indoor spaces, flood-prone areas?)
• Exposure pathways (inhalation of dust, direct contact, vector transmission, penetrating injuries?)

Document everything in biological hazards register. If you’re not sure where to start, our WHS audit services can help identify risks you might have missed.

2. Assess the Risk

Not all biological hazards carry equal risk. A tick bite on a solar farm in regional NSW poses a different risk profile than potential hepatitis B exposure in a healthcare setting. Consider:

• Likelihood: How often are workers exposed? Is it seasonal or constant?
• Consequence: Can exposure cause death, serious illness or minor infection?
• Vulnerable workers: Are pregnant workers, immunocompromised staff or those with pre-existing conditions at higher risk?

The code requires documented risk assessments kept for a minimum 28 days-or two years if a notifiable incident occurs.

3. Eliminate or Minimise

Apply the hierarchy of controls, starting with elimination:

• Elimination: Can you remove the hazard entirely? Prevent pest entry, fix water leaks before mould develops, reject contaminated materials at entry.
• Substitution: Replace high-risk processes with safer alternatives-wet mopping instead of dry sweeping in areas with animal waste.
• Isolation: Quarantine sick animals immediately, seal contaminated waste at generation point, restrict access to high-risk areas.
• Engineering: Install HEPA filtration, use enclosed cabins on mowers and tractors, provide sensor taps to minimise hand contamination.
• Administrative: Implement vaccination programs (Q fever, hepatitis B, tetanus), rotate high-risk tasks, enforce hygiene policies.
• PPE: As a last resort-gloves, P2 respirators for airborne hazards, face shields, protective clothing.

Looking for pre-built systems?
Our contaminated land management standard and water and wastewater management standard integrate biological hazards controls with environmental management.

4. Implement Baseline Controls

Regardless of your specific hazards, the code requires these fundamentals:

• Hygiene facilities: Handwashing stations with soap and paper towels-portable units for remote sites
• Routine cleaning: Daily disinfection of high-touch surfaces; never dry sweep where biological hazards are present
• Worker hygiene: Handwashing before eating, covering cuts with waterproof dressings, no eating in contaminated areas
• Ventilation: Adequate fresh air exchange, maintained HVAC systems, air quality monitoring where organic dusts are present

These aren’t optional-they’re minimum standards that inspectors will verify during workplace visits.

5. Monitor and Review

Biological hazards don’t stay static. Seasonal changes bring vector activity, extreme weather creates flooding and mould risks, and new diseases emerge. Your controls need regular review:

• After incidents or near misses
• When work processes change
• Following worker consultation
• At scheduled intervals (annually minimum)

Need a systematic approach? Download our Universal WHS Checklist which now incorporates biological hazards verification.

Industry-Specific Spotlight: Solar Farms and Outdoor Work

Since many of our clients operate solar farms and renewable energy projects, here’s what the new code means for you:

Q fever is now explicitly addressed. If you’re in Armidale, Toowoomba or other rural hotspots where kangaroos are present on site, the code requires:

• P2 respirators when grass slashing or mowing creates airborne dust from animal droppings
• Enclosed cabins with HEPA filtration on ride-on mowers and tractors
• Q fever vaccination offered to all workers regularly performing outdoor grass maintenance
• Clear instruction: workers must not touch animal carcasses or sick animals-report to supervisor immediately

Vector management is now mandatory. Mosquitoes and ticks aren’t just nuisances-they’re biological hazards. Controls include:

• Insect repellent supplied and workers trained to apply before outdoor work
• Long-sleeved shirts and enclosed footwear as minimum PPE
• Tick checks after working in long grass
• Monitoring for symptoms post-exposure (Ross River virus, tick-borne illnesses)

Contaminated water sources. If your site has rainwater tanks or uses bore water, you need treatment protocols before workers use it for handwashing. Untreated water carries leptospirosis, parasites and bacteria-especially after flooding events.

These requirements align with our health monitoring guidance, which covers biological exposure surveillance.

Notifiable Incidents You Need to Know

The code clarifies when biological hazard exposures must be reported to your state WHS regulator:

• Any exposure resulting in death, serious injury or illness requiring immediate medical treatment
• Occupational zoonoses contracted through handling animals, animal products (hides, skins, wool) or animal waste-specifically anthrax, Q fever, leptospirosis and brucellosis
• Infections where work is a significant contributing factor

There’s a grey area for outdoor workers who don’t handle animals but are exposed to animal waste through grass works. While not automatically notifiable as occupational zoonoses, if a worker contracts Q fever from grass slashing on your solar farm, it’s likely notifiable under the broader “work as significant contributing factor” category. Document your controls meticulously.

What You Need to Do Now

Immediate actions:

1. Download the code from Safe Work Australia and distribute to managers and supervisors
2. Review your biological hazards register-if you don’t have one, create it now using the code’s framework
3. Verify baseline controls are actually in place (handwashing facilities, cleaning schedules, ventilation)
4. Check PPE stocks-P2 respirators, gloves, face shields, protective clothing
5. Update training materials to reflect the new code requirements

Within 30 days:

• Conduct gap analysis against the code’s requirements
• Update risk assessments for high-risk activities
• Implement missing baseline controls
• Brief workers on changes and new expectations

Within 90 days:

• Establish or update vaccination programs where relevant (Q fever, hepatitis B, tetanus, influenza)
• Review emergency response procedures for biological exposures
• Integrate biological hazards into your SWMS and site inductions

Need help getting compliant? Our WHS services team specialises in biological hazards management for construction, renewable energy and outdoor industries. We’ll conduct site-specific risk assessments, develop tailored standards and train your supervisors on implementation.

The Bottom Line

Biological hazards management isn’t new, but the March 2026 code brings much-needed clarity and modern guidance. For outdoor industries particularly, the explicit recognition of Q fever, vector-borne diseases and animal waste risks means you can’t rely on generic hygiene advice anymore.

Compliance isn’t about checking boxes-it’s about preventing workers from contracting diseases that could have been avoided with proper controls. Whether it’s Q fever from grass slashing, Legionella from a poorly maintained cooling tower, or bloodborne virus exposure from an unreported sharps injury, the consequences are real.

The code is now in effect across all Australian jurisdictions. Inspectors will expect to see documented risk assessments, baseline controls implemented, and workers who actually understand the biological hazards they face.

Looking for implementation support or pre-built standards aligned with the new code? Browse our WHS resources library or get in touch for site-specific advice. We’ve helped hundreds of solar farms, construction companies and outdoor operators implement practical biological hazards controls that actually work.

Related Resources:

• Spontaneous Combustion Management Standard:biological hazards in organic waste decomposition
• WHS Audit Services:comprehensive compliance verification including biological hazards