COSHH
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How to conduct a COSHH assessment for your workplace
The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002 are a set of rules that govern the way businesses use dangerous materials so they do not cause harm to people, premises and places.
Having the correct equipment for chemical storage and handling is an important part of working within COSHH rules. Additionally, particular care should be given to those that are stored in drums and cylinders, with specialised apparatus being used wherever possible.
A major part of COSHH compliancy is incident planning and knowing what to do in an emergency. Ensuring your business has sufficient spill control supplies for quick and efficient clean up should an accident occur is vital. By assessing hazards and forming a cohesive COSHH policy you can minimise the risk of a serious incident in your workplace.
Buying Guide - What is COSHH?
COSHH Regulations Explained
Hazardous substances can take many forms and are common in just about every workplace. As the name implies The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002 concern themselves with the measures you need to take to make working with such substances safe.It would be easy to imagine that only large industrial sites or those with lots of staff would need to be concerned with COSHH regulations, but this is not the case. Businesses of any size and type from florists and funeral homes to repair centres and restaurants are required by law to make COSHH provisions.
When deciding how COSHH regulations apply to you and your workplace you should consider whether any of the following are present while you work:
- Chemicals or products that contain them
- Mists
- Fumes and vapours
- Dust
- Gases
- Biological agents
All of these can be classed as substances that require some form of control in order to work with them safely. Simple everyday items such as cleaning products, glue or paint will therefore need to be considered as part of your COSHH provision. However this list is not exhaustive - to assess whether a product has COSHH implications for your business you should check any information that was provided with it, ask your supplier or look online.
COSHH Essentials
Good COSHH procedures consist of several important steps, including those outlined below. By working through these and continuously monitoring their effectiveness you can efficiently control any risk.COSHH Assessment
Once you’ve ascertained whether a substance will require control measures you will need to look in further detail at how and why it is present and the possible ways this could affect workers’ safety. Consider also the tasks that are to be performed around the substance to determine the scale of the threat. Handling small amounts of chemicals in a can may well be assessed as having a low risk, however the cleaning or disposal of drums that contained the same substance might be decided to carry a greater risk of exposure and require tougher control measures.Make a written record of your COSHH assessment and any measures you are taking to reduce risk. This is a legal requirement if you have five or more employees and good practice in any event.