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What Is A COSHH Assessment?

 

A COSHH assessment is a form produced for any substance with which people come into contact at the workplace. The assessment is to determine whether the substance may be damaging to their health, and the COSHH acronym stands for Control of Substances Hazardous to Health.

What Substances Require A COSHH Assessment?

One key element in deciding what substances need a COSHH assessment is understanding what the regulations define as a substance. These include chemicals, liquids, fumes, vapours, dust, gases, bacteria, viruses, and even nanoparticles. Additionally, it is essential to note that substances considered safe and inert still require a COSHH assessment if they are substances that people may encounter in the workplace. It is only by assessing a substance that we determine if it poses any potential hazards. A substance is considered hazardous if it can harm a person's health. Here's a brief description of some substance categories:

  • Chemicals: Everything is a chemical, so for this category, we are focusing on liquid or powdered substances such as dried chilli powder, powder coatings, cleaning products, adhesives, paints, bleach, and thinners.
  • Fumes: These include any fumes that employees may encounter, such as paint fumes, exhaust fumes, welding fumes, and smoke.
  • Vapours: Although vapours and fumes may seem the same, they are separate substances. One of the most common workplace vapours is solvent vapour, which is released from substances such as paints or adhesives.
  • Dust: Dust is a common hazardous substance found in many workplaces. It may be created from wood, metal, rubber or stone. Dust is considered hazardous because it may contain microscopic droplets of liquid or solid particles that can cause health problems, particularly in the lungs.
  • Gases: Hazardous gases include carbon monoxide or chlorine, which, when exposed for a certain amount of time, can be extremely toxic. Other types of gases that would be considered hazardous include those that are flammable, toxic, or corrosive.
  • Germs (That Cause Diseases): In this instance, COSHH covers any germs that cause diseases or germs used within laboratories. These germs may cause diseases such as Legionnaires' disease and leptospirosis.
  • Other substances that COSHH covers include mists, nanotechnology, and biological agents.

Yet surprisingly, not all hazardous substances are covered by COSHH, as some substances had specific regulations in place before the implementation of the 2002 COSHH Regulations. These include:

Conducting COSHH assessments enables employers to identify which products and substances pose a potential risk. This enables an employer to design and implement control measures, which is essential, as in most work environments, people use hazardous substances daily; therefore, procedures and control measures must be in place to prevent unnecessary injury and harm. A COSHH assessment is a legal requirement for any business where employees come into contact with substances that may cause harm, or for companies that create new substances in the working environment. The assessment must demonstrate how to mitigate or minimise potential harm to an acceptable level.