Biological hazard

The biohazard symbol was developed in 1966 by Charles Baldwin, an environmental-health engineer working for the Dow Chemical Company on their containment products.

[1] It is used in the labeling of biological materials that carry a significant health risk, including viral samples and used hypodermic needles.

Biohazardous safety issues are identified with specified labels,[b] signs and paragraphs established by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

Proper use of ANSI Z535 signs, labels and paragraphs are written into many of OSHA's standards for HazCom and crafted to integrate with ISO symbols.

Reference ANSI Z535 for a complete description on how to use DANGER, WARNING, CAUTION and NOTICE signs, labels or paragraphs.

A black symbol on a transparent background
The biohazard symbol
Immediate disposal of used needles into a sharps container is standard procedure.
NHS medics practice using protective equipment used when treating Ebola patients