COSHH - - Health and Safety in the workplace
Legal Duties
The law requires employers to control exposure to hazardous substances to prevent ill health. They have to protect both employees and others who may be exposed by complying with the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002(COSHH).
Guidance
You can prevent or reduce workers' exposure to hazardous substances by:
Sometimes substances are easily recognised as harmful. Common substances such as paint, bleach or dust from natural materials may also be harmful.
What is a ‘substance hazardous to health’?
Next Step,
You are probably already aware of many risks in your trade or industry. A COSHH assessment concentrates on the hazards and risks from substances in your workplace.
Remember that hazards and risks are not limited to substances labelled as ‘hazardous’.
Steps to making a COSHH assessment:
By law, your supplier must give you an up to date safety data sheet for a substance that is ‘dangerous for supply’. Safety Data Sheets are often hard to understand, though this explanation might help.
Keeping a copy of the safety data sheet is not a COSHH assessment
What is a Hazardous Substance?
Any substance which is listed in Part 1 of the Approved Supply List as dangerous for supply because it is very toxic, toxic, harmful, corrosive or irritant.
See ECB website Annex I of Directive 67/548/EEC database for classifications.
Additional Services
EDP consists of the the following divisions:-
Contact Us - for full HSE Compliance and Risk Management in the workplace.
The law requires employers to control exposure to hazardous substances to prevent ill health. They have to protect both employees and others who may be exposed by complying with the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002(COSHH).
Guidance
You can prevent or reduce workers' exposure to hazardous substances by:
- finding out what the health hazards are;
- deciding how to prevent harm to health (risk assessment);
- providing control measures to reduce harm to health;
- making sure they are used;
- keeping all control measures in good working order;
- providing information, instruction and training for employees and others;
- providing monitoring and health surveillance in appropriate cases;
- planning for emergencies.
Sometimes substances are easily recognised as harmful. Common substances such as paint, bleach or dust from natural materials may also be harmful.
What is a ‘substance hazardous to health’?
- COSHH covers chemicals, products containing chemicals, fumes, dusts, vapours, mists and gases, and biological agents (germs). If the packaging has any of the hazard symbols then it is classed as a hazardous substance.
- COSHH also covers asphyxiating gases.
- COSHH covers germs that cause diseases such as leptospirosis or legionnaires' disease: and germs used in laboratories.
Next Step,
You are probably already aware of many risks in your trade or industry. A COSHH assessment concentrates on the hazards and risks from substances in your workplace.
Remember that hazards and risks are not limited to substances labelled as ‘hazardous’.
Steps to making a COSHH assessment:
- Walk around your workplace. Where is there potential for exposure to substances that might be hazardous to health?
- Examples include processes that emit dust, fume, vapour, mist or gas; and skin contact with liquids, pastes and dusts. Substances with workplace exposure limits (WELs) are hazardous to health.
- In what way are the substances harmful to health?
- Get safety data sheets, and read your trade magazines. Some substances arise from processes and have no safety data sheet.
Examples include fume from welding or soldering, mist from metalworking, dust from quarrying, gases from silage. Look at the HSE web pages for your trade or industry - Your Industry. - What jobs or tasks lead to exposure?
- Note these down. Note down what control measures you already use. For these jobs, how likely is any harm to workers’ health?
- Are there any areas of concern, eg from the Accident Book?
- Examples include burns from splashes, nausea or light-headedness from solvents, etc
By law, your supplier must give you an up to date safety data sheet for a substance that is ‘dangerous for supply’. Safety Data Sheets are often hard to understand, though this explanation might help.
Keeping a copy of the safety data sheet is not a COSHH assessment
What is a Hazardous Substance?
Any substance which is listed in Part 1 of the Approved Supply List as dangerous for supply because it is very toxic, toxic, harmful, corrosive or irritant.
See ECB website Annex I of Directive 67/548/EEC database for classifications.
- Any preparation (mixture) that is dangerous for supply, as above.
- Any substance which has a Workplace Exposure Limit (WEL).
- Any biological agents used at work.
- Any dust other than one with a WEL at a concentration in air above 10 mg/m3 averaged over 8 hours, or any such respirable dust above 4 mg/m3 over 8 hours.
- Any other substance that creates a risk to health because of its properties and the way it is used or is present in the workplace.
Additional Services
EDP consists of the the following divisions:-
Contact Us - for full HSE Compliance and Risk Management in the workplace.