COSHH

Question 1

what are hazardous substances

Answer 1

Hazardous substances used in the workplace can harm employees’ health if exposures aren’t properly controlled and can add to the unnecessary and preventable burden of ill health

“Hazardous substances” is a very wide ranging term and the list is very long.
Hazardous substances can be:
•	liquids
•	solids
•	dusts
•	powders
•	gases

Question 2

when can cause hazardous substances damage

Answer 2

when….
• they come into contact with skin and eyes.
• they enter the body through cuts in the skin.
• they are breathed in.
• they enter the body by mouth either by swallowing or from contaminated hands touching the mouth.

Question 3

what does COSHH do (to employers)

Answer 3

COSHH requires employers to weigh up the risks to the health of their employees arising from exposure to hazardous substances and to prevent, or where this is not reasonably practicable, adequately control exposure
Employers might also have to monitor employees’ exposure to a hazardous substance and place them under health surveillance
Unless the right precautions are taken, exposure to hazardous substances can threaten the health of employees and others who may be exposed to them
COSHH provides a legal framework to protect people against these health risks and sets out the essential precautionary measures that employers and employees must take.

Question 4

What hazardous substances does COSHH cover?

Answer 4

• Substances or mixtures of substances classified as dangerous to health under the current CHIP Regulations.
• Substances with occupational exposure limits (Exposure limits cover many industrial chemicals , benzenes, formaldehyde these include some chemicals used in the hospital environment for sterilisation for example. They tend to be chemicals used in specialised industries such as toluene which is a solvent used as a chemical reactant in printing, adhesives etc.)
• biological agents (bacteria and other micro-organisms), if directly connected with the work or if exposure is incidental, such as farming or healthcare
• any kind of dust in a specified concentration
• any other substance which creates a risk to health, but which for technical reasons may not be specifically covered by CHIP e.g. some pesticides, medicines, cosmetics or substances produced in chemical processes. This means for example if you worked in a biological laboratory or if as in the healthcare environment an incident could lead to exposure. It would not cover for example catching an infectious disease from a colleague.
• This can cover chemotherapy drugs for example including tablets or any medicine which could cause harm (aerosol antibiotics etc)

Question 5

What hazardous substances does COSHH not cover?

Answer 5

COSHH exposure limits do not cover radioactivity, this are covered by other legislation including the Ionising Radiations (Medical Exposure) Regulations 2000.
CHIP is the Chemicals (Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply) Regulations 2002.
The aim of CHIP is to ensure that people who are supplied with chemicals receive the information they need to protect themselves, others and the environment.

Question 6

what are CHIP regulations

Answer 6

• CHIP obliges suppliers of chemicals to identify their hazards(eg flammability, toxicity, etc
• Advise on safe use to the people they supply the chemicals to
• Package labels and safety data sheets
• CHIP applies to most chemicals but not all Exceptions include cosmetic products, medicinal products, foods, etc.

Question 7

What does COSHH Require

Answer 7

• Assessing the risk to health arising from work; deciding what precautions are needed
• Preventing or controlling exposure
• Ensuring that control measures are used if necessary, monitoring exposure and carrying out health surveillance
• If necessary, preparing emergency plans and procedures
• Ensuring employees are properly informed, trained and supervised

Question 8

how should employers be Assessing the Risks

Answer 8

• looking to see which hazardous substances are present
• thinking about the risks they present to people’s health
• where there are significant risks, determining how much and how often the substance is used and how hazardous is it
• whether it is an irritant
• deciding the action needed to prevent exposure or reduce it so far as is reasonably practicable, taking account of the costs

Question 9

how should employers be Preventing or controlling exposure

Answer 9

• Employers must ensure that the exposure of employees to hazardous substances is either prevented or adequately controlled
• Exposure must be prevented by changing the process or activity so that the hazardous substance is not required or generated; or replacing it with a safer alternative; or using it in a safer form, e.g. pellets instead of powder.

Question 10

how should employers Ensuring that employees are properly informed, trained and supervised

Answer 10

COSHH requires employers to provide their employees with suitable information, instruction and training about:
• the nature of the substances they work with or are exposed to and the risks created by exposure to those substances
• the precautions they should take

Question 11

what should Employers should give them sufficient information and instructions on

Answer 11

• control measures, their purpose and how to use them
• how to use personal protective equipment and clothing provided
• results of any exposure monitoring and health surveillance (without giving people’s names)
• emergency procedures

Question 12

what are COSHH requirements for blood and body fluids

Answer 12

• COSSH requires both employers and employees to take responsibility to avoid any risk where possible e.g. safe handling and disposal of sharps and the use of personal protective equipment (gloves, face visors) to minimise exposure to blood or body fluids
• Employees are required under COSSH to perform their own assessment of risk and to implement necessary measures to protect both themselves and others.