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Control of Substances Hazardous to Health. What is a hazardous substance under COSHH?. Substances/mixtures classified as dangerous to health under CHIP Substances with OELs Biological agents Any kind of dust in a concentration specified in COSHH
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What is a hazardous substance under COSHH? • Substances/mixtures classified as dangerous to health under CHIP • Substances with OELs • Biological agents • Any kind of dust in a concentration specified in COSHH • Any other substance which has comparable hazards, but which for technical reasons may not be covered by CHIP
What is not a hazardous substance under COSHH? • Asbestos & lead (own regulations) • Substances hazardous only because they are: • Radioactive;Simple asphyxiants;At high pressure;At extreme temperatures; or Explosive or flammable (own regulations) • Biological agents not connected with work e.g. catching cold • Normally, the presence of a label (or not) will indicate whether COSHH is relevant
Risk Assessment • Identify the hazardous substances in the workplace • Decide who is at risk and how • Evaluate the risk – are further controls necessary? • Record the findings • Review & revise when necessary
Prevention/Control of Exposure • Eliminate • Substitute • Engineering Controls • Isolation • Enclosure • Ventilation (including LEV) • Change work methods • Reduce time exposure • PPE • Housekeeping • Instruction, Information, Training
Use of Control Measures • Employees should make proper use of controls and report defects • They must be trained in how to do so
Maintenance of Controls • Keep in efficient working order and good repair • Engineering controls & RPE examined and tested at regular intervals • LEV – 14 months • Retain records for 5 years
Monitoring Exposure • Measure concentrations where assessment concludes that: • Serious risks if controls fail; • Exposure limits may be exceeded; • Control measures may not be working properly • Employees are exposed to certain substances/process in Schedule 5 • Records should be kept for 5 years
Health Surveillance • Health surveillance in the following circumstances: • Employees significantly exposed to process in Schedule 6 • Employees exposed to substance linked to particular disease or adverse health effect and reasonable likelihood of disease/effect occurring and possible to detect disease/effect • May be by professional, trained supervisor or self-check • Records kept for 40 years
Information, Instruction & Training • About: • Nature of substances and associated risks • Precautions staff should take • Control measures – purpose and how to use them • How to use PPE & clothing • Results of monitoring and health surveillance (without giving names) • Emergency procedures • Controls will not be effective if staff do not know how to use them properly, or the importance of reporting faults
Defence “In any proceedings for an offence consisting of a contravention of these Regulations it shall be a defence for any person to prove that he took all reasonable precautions and exercised all due diligence to avoid the commission of that offence”