Every year exposure to hazardous substances at work affects the
health of many thousands of people. The high costs of ill-health
arise from loss of earnings, loss of productivity, prosecution and
civil action amongst others. Common examples of such substances
include:
- lung disease – caused by conditions
- skin irritation, dermatitis or skin cancer – due to frequent
contact with oils, contact with corrosive liquids and
- occupational asthma – caused by sensitisation when using paints
or adhesives containing isocyanates
Under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations
or "COSHH" Regulations, businesses are required to:
- carry out an assessment of the risks from using hazardous
substances in the workplace
- decide what precautions are needed to prevent or control any
risks
- ensure that control measures are used and maintained
- inform instruct and train their employees about the risks and
precautions needed and
- monitor exposure and where necessary, undertaking health
surveillance of businesses.
What are the COSHH Regulations?
These regulations:
- provide a framework to help protect people in the workplace
against health risks from hazardous substances that may be used
directly in the work (eg cleaning chemicals, chemical reagents) or
may arise from the work (eg dusts, fumes and waste products)
- lay down a sensible step-by-step approach to implementing the
necessary precautions and are a useful tool of good management
- apply to virtually all substances hazardous to health with the
only exceptions being asbestos and lead (which have their own
regulations) and substances which are hazardous only because they
are radioactive, asphyxiants or have explosive/flammable
properties.
A COSHH Assessment is a step-by-step approach and involves:
- Hazard Identification - identify what hazards there are
- Risk Assessment - evaluate the risks to people and
- Take Further Action - for significant risks, decide on the
action needed to remove or reduce the risks to insignificant
levels.
Assessment is the responsibility of the business and those
persons preparing the assessment will need to:
- have access to, and understand, COSHH and other related
legislation, Approved Codes of Practice and published
guidance;
- be competent to carry through the work of assessment;
- consult widely within the workforce and inform them of results
accordingly; and
- consider peripatetic workers (who work for you on other
premises).
Businesses must inform, instruct and train their employees
regarding the substances and their associated risks. Sufficient
information and instruction should be given on control measures,
personal protective equipment, the results of any exposure
monitoring or health surveillance and what procedures are to be
taken in an emergency.
What is a hazard?
A hazard is the potential to cause harm and substances hazardous
to health include:
- substances classified as dangerous to health under the
Chemicals (Hazard Information and Packing for Supply) Regulations
2002, usually known as "CHIP3"
- substances with occupational exposure limits (these are
specified in HSE Guidance Note EH40 which is revised annually)
- biological agents and
- dusts of any kind in substantial concentrations.
Identification of hazardous substances can be sought from:
- hazard data sheets, labels etc from suppliers (who are required
to provide them by law) from which businesses must draw conclusions
on how the substance is used in the workplace
- knowledge from within industry sectors such trade
literature
- published guidance / documents and
- part V of the Approved Supply List published by the Health
& Safety Executive.
What is a risk assessment?
A risk is the likelihood that a hazard will actually cause in
the actual circumstances of its use and a risk assessment involves
looking at:
- the use, handling, generation, release etc. of hazardous
substance
- those who might be affected and their likely exposure
level
- the nature of exposure (breathing in, swallowing, skin
absorption etc)
- the current measures to prevent or control exposure and their
effectiveness and use
- the effect of accidental leakage, spillage or release and
- all cleaning and maintenance operations.
The risk will depend on a number of factors, such as the hazard
presented by the substance, how it is used, how exposure is
controlled, the degree and extent of exposure.
What further action is required?
If there is no likelihood or insignificant risk, no further
action until review of assessment. However, if risks have been
identified, businesses will need to ensure appropriate control
measures, in the following order of priority:
- Removal - change the process or activity so that the hazardous
substance is not required or generated
- Substitution - replace with safer alternative (see HS(G)110 in
References section) or use it in safer form
- Reduce exposure – by reducing contact time or through the use
of local controls.
Controls may include any of the following:
- total enclosure of the process
- partial enclosure and extraction equipment
- using systems of work and handling procedures which minimise
chances of spills, leaks etc. or exposure to the substance(s)
and
- personal protective equipment (eg respirators, protective
clothing) only as a last resort when you cannot adequately control
exposure by any combination of the measures above.
Employees are required to make proper use of control measures
and to report any defects and businesses are required to keep
controls in efficient working order and good repair.
Engineering controls and respiratory protective equipment have
to be examined and, where appropriate, tested at suitable intervals
with suitable records of all such actions being kept.
Monitoring exposure is required in certain circumstances - eg
where there could be serious risks to health if control measures
were to fail or deteriorate or where you cannot be sure that
exposure limits are not being exceeded – all records of monitoring
should be kept.
When is health surveillance required?
Health surveillance is required:
- where an employee is engaged in one of the processes listed in
Schedule 5 of COSHH and is likely to receive significant exposure
to the substance involved and
- where employees are exposed to a substance linked to a
particular disease or adverse health effect and there is reasonable
likelihood under the conditions of work of that disease or adverse
health effect occurring and it is possible to detect the disease or
adverse health effect and suitable records must be kept by
businesses for 40 years.
References and publications
- COSHH
pages on the HSE website
- COSHH Essentials – basic step-by-step guidance
on COSHH
- L5-General COSHH ACOP, Carcinogens ACOP and Biological Agents
ACOP(HSE) ISBN 0 7176 1670 3
- A Step By Step Guide To COSHH Assessment - HS(G) 97 (HSE) ISBN
0 7176 1446 8.
- 7 Steps To Successful Substitution Of Hazardous Substances
HS(G) 110 (HSE) ISBN 0 7176 0695 3.
- Health Surveillance Under COSHH (HSE) ISBN 9 780118
854474