Division 5 In order to obtain the necessary information to implement this process the user may firstly take into account relevant Community legislation (in particular Directive 2000/54/EC). International or national classification schemes (e.g. World Health Organisation, National Institutes of Health) and their revisions due to new scientific knowledge and technical progress may also be considered.

These schemes concern natural micro-organisms and as such are usually based on the ability of micro-organisms to cause disease to humans, animals or plants and on the severity and transmissibility of the disease likely to be caused. Directive 2000/54/EC classifies micro-organisms, as biological agents, into four classes of risk on the basis of potential effects on a healthy human adult. These classes of risk can be used as guidance for the purposes of categorisation of the contained use activities in the four classes of risk referred to in Article 4(3). The user may also take into consideration classification schemes referring to plant and animal pathogens (which are usually established on a national basis). The abovementioned classification schemes give only a provisional indication of the risk class of the activity and the corresponding set of containment and control measures.