Health and Safety
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH)
“Two members of staff were very happy with the excellent First Aid training they completed last week. They found it very informative especially with the latest information about defibrillators. Thank you to The Health & Safety Dept.“Alba, Beverage Company,
“We particularly value the friendliness and responsiveness of the service and are confident that we have protected our organisation from potential risks and liabilities in these important yet complex areas.”
What is COSHH?
The answer is in the name. COSHH stands for ‘Control of Substances Hazardous to Health’. In the UK, COSHH regulations are aimed at ensuring businesses control substances that could cause injury to the health of their employees, such as chemicals. COSHH regulations protect workers and ensure working conditions are safe.
But how? Where do you start?
It’s the employer’s responsibility to identify what the health hazards are to employees if they work with, or around, or may come into contact with, hazardous chemicals and substances.
A robust risk assessment must be created, implemented and continually reviewed to ensure that your business is doing all it can to keep people safe.
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By carrying out a COSHH assessment, you can identify what hazardous substances are being used, what control measures have been put in place, and whether the precautions currently taken are acceptable. Breaching COSHH regulations is a criminal offense so it’s vital to always have yours up to date.
What is a COSHH risk assessment and do I need one?
A COSHH risk assessment examines the hazards and risks from substances in the workplace. It asks questions about whether there is the potential for exposure to hazardous substances, the ways in which substances may be harmful to health and what tasks are being performed that may lead to hazardous exposure.
You need a COSHH assessment whenever you, or the company you work for, are using or creating a substance that is hazardous to health. These substances have the potential to cause harm if they are ingested, instilled, inhaled, or come into contact with or are absorbed through the skin.
What are my legal responsibilities as an employer?
According to the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, employers have a number of legal responsibilities aside from carrying out a risk assessment, including:
Employers must control exposure to hazardous substances, for example through provision of personal protective equipment (PPE).
Hazardous substances should have control measures implemented and maintained, for example through supervision and operating procedures.
Employees must be provided with training, instruction and information.
Employers must have procedures in place to deal with accidents and emergencies.
Employees exposed to hazardous substances must be properly supervised to ensure their safety.
Make sure that the use of hazardous substances doesn’t go over the Workplace Exposure Limit.
How can The Health & Safety Dept help with my COSHH risk assessment?
COSHH regulations are complex and can be hard to navigate, especially if you haven’t dealt with them before. Our specialists can support and guide your business through the maze of COSHH, offering help and guidance every step of the way. We can offer sensible advice that is completely tailored to your business, enabling you to understand the regulations and create a COSHH policy that keeps your company and your employees 100% safe and compliant.
As well as assisting directly with COSHH assessments, our expert H&S Dept team can provide additional support and advise your business on the protective equipment necessary to ensure compliance. We can also help you to create emergency plans, which outline how to respond should an accident or emergency arise, including identifying potential accidents, advising on appropriate first aid care and evacuations strategies.
Safety is our business. We can support you in completing your COSHH risk assessment, and help you ensure you have all the information and assistance necessary to make completing them simple and stress-free.
Commonly asked COSHH questions
Whilst it is the employer’s responsibility to ensure a COSHH assessment is carried out, they may not actually write the assessment themselves. Large organisations often have an individual or a team or a team employed who is responsible for health and safety. Smaller companies may appoint a ‘competent person’ who can assist and advise on these matters. The person must have the necessary skills, knowledge and experience to carry out the assessment properly, as well as a good understanding of hazard and risk.
A COSHH assessment should be reviewed at least annually, or every time a relevant change is made within the work environment. For example, they should be reviewed if there are any reasons to believe the original assessment is no longer valid, such as reports are received from supervisors that there are defects in control systems, or new substances are introduced to the workplace or being produced by the workplace. If you have any reason to think your COSHH assessment may need to be updated, it’s vital to check.
A risk assessment identifies the hazardous properties of a substance and therefore highlights its potential to cause harm. A COSHH assessment examines the circumstances that a substance is being used in, and therefore highlights the actual risk that the substance could cause harm.
The COSHH assessment is designed to ensure that correct decisions are made about the control measures which should be taken to prevent or control substances that are hazardous to health. A more general risk assessment is the starting point of a COSHH assessment as it only provides information about the substance itself, and not advice about how to control it.
All employees must have access to both the COSHH assessment and relevant data sheets for all substances that they work with or around that are hazardous to health.
It is necessary for employers to provide employees with comprehensive information about the risks, hazards and controls measures relating to hazardous substances. They must also provide training and instruction in order for the employee to be able to use the control measures.
“Two members of staff were very happy with the excellent First Aid training they completed last week. They found it very informative especially with the latest information about defibrillators. Thank you to The Health & Safety Dept.“Alba, Beverage Company
“We particularly value the friendliness and responsiveness of the service and are confident that we have protected our organisation from potential risks and liabilities in these important yet complex areas.”
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