From burns to lung cancer – hazardous substances can cause minor to lethal damage to health. Thus, employers and business owners need to ensure the safety of their employees. This is where the COSHH regulations come in. It helps companies and businesses create a foolproof protective strategy.
These regulations ensure that employers are taking the essential precautionary steps. The COSHH regulations cover various areas. If you are not well aware of them, you are at the right place. This blog will provide you with a basic understanding of COSHH regulation in the UK. Stay tuned!
COSHH considers the following substances as hazardous
However, COSHH regulations don’t cover lead, asbestos or radioactive substances because these have their own specific regulations.
As per Health and safety statistics, 1.8 million working people suffer from a work-related illness.
Here are a few more statistics
The COSHH regulations play a significant role in protecting employees from such harm. Here are a few other reasons why the regulations of COSHH are so important
Sometimes you may not consider some substances as a risk. Yet, they can actually be harmful to health. COSHH assessment will help you identify these substances. This assessment will ensure no stone is unturned. Also, it will help you understand why this particular substance is a risk. This helps in ensuring that no one is working near or with hazardous substances unknowingly.
Conducting COSHH assessment helps you deepen your understanding of harmful substances. Therefore, you understand whether you can replace these substances with less harmful ones.
The COSHH regulations ensure that the precautionary steps are on the right track. And you have taken adequate steps to combat the hazards. For example, the use of PPE, RPE, first aid etc. Thus, it allows you to ensure complete safety in the workplace.
These regulations make you check both long-term and short-term risks. Hence, you can get the chance to take precautions against all sorts of hazards.
From start to finish, COSHH regulation covers all the steps. From storage to transportation, it includes safety measures at every step. This helps in establishing a solid safety net.
There are eight areas covered in the COSHH regulation. Employers must ensure that they comply with each of the eight regulations. In order to create a safe workplace, they are mandatory. The following eight areas are covered in COSHH regulations.
1. Risk Assessment and Reduction
2. Routes of Exposure
3. Control Measures Related to Certain Risks
4. Choosing effective Control Measures
5. Implementing Appropriate PPE
6. Reviewing the Control Measures
7. Informing and Training
8. New Risk Reduction
According to this law, businesses should conduct risk assessments frequently. Through assessment, you should identify the health and safety risk within the workplace. After identifying the potential hazards, take the essential steps to minimise them.
Business owners should take measures to reduce emissions from the substances. In addition, they should also focus on decreasing the release and spread as well. To do that, they can seal the areas that contain these substances. Besides, they should also limit the number of people who work near these substances.
Figuring out how hazardous substances can impact workers is also important. An assessment needs to be conducted on the routes through which the substance can enter the body. For example, inhalation, ingestion and skin. The route will depend on the type of substances.
Some routes of exposure are as follows –
There are certain substances that can cause serious damage to human health. If your workplace uses these substances, it is mandatory to provide strict risk-controlling measures. In addition, it is your responsibility to ensure the measures are adequate for the risk. Because the lack of essential precautions will impact the employees’ health.
Besides, your company has to follow the COSHH assessment steps. For example, the Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs). This Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs) is a set of regulations. These regulations outline the time limits of substances that can cause damage through inhalation. Also, it is important that the control measures are reviewed frequently. It will help in confirming that they are working properly.
Taking control measures is not enough. Companies must take the most effective measures to ensure the well-being of the workers. The measures should be suitable for the risks, or they will not be as effective as required. For example, providing PPE for workers who come in contact with harmful chemicals. Along with that, you must regularly check if the implemented safety measure. Make sure they are still effective. If they seem inadequate, modify them accordingly.
Incorporating PPE in the control measures is a vital step. Sometimes other efforts fail to protect the workers from exposure to hazardous substances. In these cases, you have to provide them with proper Personal Protective Equipment or PPE.
While selecting the PPE make sure that they are suitable for the conditions. They should also be coordinated with the level of risks. Along with providing PPE, you should also explain to the employees why they need the PPE and train them on how to use it.
After implementing the control measures, it is important to keep them in check. You should review the measures regularly. It will ensure they are still adequate for protecting the workers. To check the effectiveness of the measures, you can keep records, conduct tests or take any other steps. You can also hire professionals to test and review your steps.
There are many factors you have to consider while you review the effectiveness. For example,
According to the COSHH regulations, all workers who are exposed to hazardous substances must be informed about the risks. In addition, It is also mandatory to train them on how to carry out the control measures. The workers must be well aware of the control measures. It ensures that they can identify if a measure is performing properly or not. Also, they should have the ability to take the essential steps if they find faults in control measures.
Places, where hazardous substances are used or stored, are never out of risk. Thus, it is important that companies conduct a risk assessment and try to uncover new risks. This will ensure that all the potential risks are identified and taken care of.
COSHH regulations are also accompanied by a few other regulations in the UK. Here are a few relevant regulations and legislations:
The Classification, Labelling, and Packaging Regulation (2009) work in alignment with the GHS. It’s an EU Regulation adopted by the United Nations’ GHS in all European Union countries, including the UK.
This regulation helps determine the properties of substances and mixtures that should be classified as hazardous and how they are to be properly identified and communicated. For example, it covers properties that pose physical hazards and hazards to human health and the environment, including hazards to the ozone layer.
REACH, or Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restriction of Chemicals is a piece of legislation to consider alongside COSHH. It works with the CLP regulation to control the chemicals in Europe.
A significant part of REACH instructs manufacturers and importers of substances, to register them with the central European Chemicals Agency to legally produce and sell them. REACH also aims to control the use of these substances by going through a lengthy authorisation process. If any substances, such as carcinogens, are of very serious concern, REACH encourages businesses to swap these substances for safer ones.
REACH also provides a framework for creating documents to pass information in the supply chain – from manufacturers to importers, suppliers, and consumers. For example, it needs to include information on the risks of using hazardous substances. It also includes how to assess and reduce, if any, associated health & safety risks.
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 is the UK’s legislation surrounding occupational safety and health. It’s also referred to as HSWA, the HSW Act, the 1974 Act or HASAWA. Also, it sets out the general duties of the following:
This Act ensures that employers protect the health, safety and welfare of all employees, temps, the self-employed, visitors and the general public.
Providing COSHH training is crucial. It has a significant role to play in complying with COSHH regulations. Moreover, COSHH training is essential to ensure that the employees are safe. It educates the worker on the potential risks. And helps them understand the precautionary steps better.
According to ‘Section 12: Information, Instruction and Training’ every employee should be aware of the following –
The COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) Training course is ideal training for employers and employees. This course will teach them the proper way to deal with hazardous substances.
The COSHH regulations are for ensuring the safety and security of the employees. These regulations have other benefits as well.
When you implement the COSHH regulations, it shows that you are concerned about the safety and well-being of your workers. This makes them feel valued and increases morale within the workplace. This also plays a significant role in elevating workplace productivity. Employees become more productive when the employees understand that the company prioritises their well-being.
Also, they become more loyal to the company. This allows the company to hold on to their good workers and reduce employee retention costs.
If a COSHH-related accident occurs and employees get hurt, it will hamper your company’s reputation. In this digital age, news spreads like wildfire. So, if you fail to ensure the safety of your employees, everyone will hear about it. This will cost you potential employees and future business deals. Besides, other businesses or companies will hesitate to partner up. As a result, you will struggle to keep up with the competitors.
Violation of COSHH regulations will cause you financial penalties. According to the new sentencing guidelines, the penalties will impact the company’s turnover. This means that the bigger the business, the more penalty to pay. Establishing a solid COSHH strategy will help you prevent COSHH related accidents. Therefore, you will be able to reduce the possibility of facing financial penalties.
Training on COSHH regulations is the best way of ensuring safety from hazardous substances. Whether you are an employee or employer, make sure your workplace maintains these regulations. It will not only save you from potential risks but also help you build a productive workforce.
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