Australian bat lyssavirus (ABLV)

The first step is to identify possible hazards.

• Inspect your business. Look around and think about your workplace, note where your work environment or processes create the risk of exposure to ABLV.
• Talk to your workers to find out if they have any health and safety concerns. A confidential survey could give workers who are less likely to speak out in public an opportunity to provide feedback.
• Review available information. Read the relevant legislation and codes of practice. Research how other workplaces in your industry have managed this or similar risks. Use your own records of reported infections, sick leave, and other notes.

Find more information on how to identify risks in How to manage work health and safety risks code of practice 2021 (PDF, 0.65 MB) .

Do a risk assessment to establish:

• if there is a risk to you or others
• whether any effective control measures are already in place
• what actions you could take to control the risk
• how urgently you should act.

A risk assessment can include looking at:

• the nature of your work and how this exposes workers and others
• what inductions and training you have in place
• if you have a suitable first aid kit, training and emergency plan in place
• whether the work is required or if it can be rescheduled, reorganised, or restructured to reduce the risk
• seasonal considerations (e.g. dry seasons when bats pass out from dehydration)

Use this risk assessment template (DOCX, 0.02 MB) to guide and record your assessments.

A control is any measure that reduces a risk. Sometimes, a single control might be enough to eliminate a risk, like removing a tripping hazard from the work environment. Other risks, like infected wildlife need several control measures. Include your workers in any decisions about risk control. Their experience will help you choose control measures that work on paper and in practice.

Prioritise the controls that either remove the hazard or reduce the risk most effectively. Use the hierarchy of controls to understand the types of controls you can put in place and how effective they will be. The hierarchy of controls ranks types of control methods from the highest level of protection and reliability to the lowest. Eliminate the risks as much as possible through good work design.

Implement control measures in this order.

Level 1: Get rid of the harm and prevent the risk.

Difficult to do with wildlife.

Level 2: Replace the hazard with something less harmful, separate people from the hazard, or change work processes or the physical work environment.

• use rabies vaccinations
• teach staff safe bat handling
• use mechanical tools (drones, claws, shovels, etc) to pick up dead bats
• restrict access to bats under care or on display (barriers, signage, locks)
• have a biosecurity plan if you have a bat colony near your property or are a bat carer
• fruit growers: use small-aperture safe netting to minimise bats getting tangled
• vets: use the guidance in Biosecurity Queensland’s Australian bat lyssavirus guidelines for veterinarians
• fauna surveyors: don’t put unprotected hands into tree hollows, crevices or other areas where bats may be roosting, and consider using an inspection camera or drone to look for wildlife inside areas that can’t be easily seen
• wildlife rescue and care: use a thick towel to cover bats during rescue, isolate bats with neurological signs of illness from other bats in care and seek veterinary advice, use calming methods for pups such as teats, and minimise non-essential contact with bats
• electrical workers: use a no-touch technique (such as tongs or a mechanical claw) to remove bats from powerlines and arrange for a wildlife carer to receive rescued live bats and orphaned pups
• tourism operators: tell tourist groups about ABLV risks and keep them from close contact with bats (for example by positioning groups away from the direct flight path of bats emerging from caves).

Rabies vaccination

Workers at occupational risk of exposure to ABLV require a course of three doses of rabies vaccine – called ‘pre-exposure prophylaxis’. Keep accurate vaccination records for your workers.

Speak to your doctor about this vaccination and keeping it up to date. The Australian Immunisation Handbook contains the current recommendations.

Level 3: Use administrative controls to reduce exposure (such as limiting time spent in a hazardous area) or use personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect people from harm.

• provide any information, training, instruction or supervision that is necessary to protect people from ABLV risks
• develop a plan for managing potential ABLV exposures, and provide appropriate first aid equipment and training
• provide suitable PPE and ensure that it is worn by at-risk workers (e.g. puncture-proof gloves, long pants and shirts made from a tough material, a face shield).

Risk management is an ongoing process. You should check regularly to make sure the control measures are working, and that staff are using them properly. Review training and work processes. If you find problems, go through the steps again, review the information, and decide whether you need new controls.

Under the work health and safety laws you must review controls:

• when you become aware that a control measure is not working effectively
• if there is an incident or near miss
• before a change that might create a new risk
• when you find a new hazard or risk
• when your workers tell you that a review is needed
• after a health and safety representative requests a review.

You can find a list to help you find any issues in the How to manage work health and safety risks code of practice 2021 (PDF, 0.65 MB) .