CART What Is A COSHH Assessment?
What Is A COSHH Assessment?
A COSHH assessment is a form produced for any substance people come into contact with 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. Also, it must be noted that substances that we may consider safe and inert still need a COSHH assessment carried out if they are substances that people may encounter at the workplace. It is only by assessing a substance, that we find out if it poses any potential hazards, and a substance which is considered hazardous is any type of substance that can have a harmful effect on 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 are any fumes that employees may encounter and may include, amongst others, paint fumes, exhaust fumes, welding fumes, and smoke.
- Vapours: Although vapours and fumes may seem the same, they are two separate substances. One of the most common vapours found within workplaces 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 materials like 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 that are used within laboratories. These germs may cause diseases such as legionnaires and leptospirosis.
- Other substances that COSHH covers include mists, nanotechnology, and biological agents.
Yet surprisingly, not all hazardous substances are covered by COSHH, and this is because some substances had their own specific regulations in place prior to the implementation of the 2002 COSHH Regulations. These include:
- Asbestos - Although asbestos is a hazardous substance and a form of dust it does not require a COSHH assessment as it is covered by the ‘The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012’.
- Lead - Lead is a very dangerous substance and comes with its own unique dangers and regulations in place to prevent unnecessary injury.
- Radioactive Substances:Although radioactive substances such as radium and radon, are not common they hold their own set of regulations to follow such as: ‘The Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017’ and ‘The Control of Electromagnetic Fields at Work Regulations 2016’.
Carrying out COSHH assessments lets employers know which products and substances pose the potential to harm. This enables an employer to design and implement control measures, which is essential as in most work environments, people use hazardous substances every day, so procedures and control measures must be in place to prevent unnecessary injury and harm. A COSHH assessment is a lawful requirement for any business where employees come into contact with substances which may potentially cause harm or companies that create new substances in the working environment. The assessment must show how to eliminate or reduce potential harm to an acceptable level.
How To Write A COSHH Assessment
- Company name and project name: At the top of your COSHH assessment, you need to provide your company name and the name of the project (e.g., a school or community centre) to make it clear to any reader what the assessment is for.
- Substance/material Underneath the company name, you need to detail the substance or material on which you are writing the assessment, such as cement.
- Manufacturers Details: Next, you need to record the manufacturer's name, address, and contact number for the company that produced the substance or material.
- Product contents: This is the product's hazard identification, and you need to write down the hazards identified on the product's Safety Data Sheet that are deemed to be dangerous or hazardous to health.
- Exposure limits: An exposure limit is a regulatory value indicating the maximum level of exposure to a hazardous substance in the air considered safe for workers. If there is an exposure limit, then this is a significant detail you need to record.
- Where has the product been used? In the next section you need to specify the environment in which the product was used. The options usually include, outside, inside well ventilated, inside poorly ventilated, or confined space.
- How have the products been used? You need to clarify in what process the product was used, such as mixing, pouring, spraying, brushing, applying with a tool, applying by hand, etc.
- Product State: You need to record the state of the product, meaning whether it was in solid, liquid, or gas form.
- Hazard Symbols: The next stage involves identifying the relevant hazard symbols associated with the material or product you are using.
For more information on the hazard symbols and their definitions, click here. - PPE: You need to record the relevant PPE that must be worn when using this material or product. At this point, it is also important to detail whether different PPE should be worn when the product is being used in different environments.
- When is the product hazardous to health? Each product is different and may not become hazardous until placed under certain conditions, e.g., temperature. At this stage in the COSHH health and safety document, you need to record when the product is hazardous and what the health risks are, including medical conditions that can be aggravated or worsened by exposure to the product.
- First Aid and Emergency Measures: You need to identify the relevant first aid procedures to follow and explain how to implement them in an emergency. This is important so that the person using the material is aware of what to do if one of the risks becomes a reality.
- Fire details: If the product were in a fire, what would happen? Is it flammable or explosive? Would the product or its container emit toxic gases or smoke? What is the correct extinguishing method, and are there any special precautions that firefighters need to take?
- Sign off: The final stage of the COSHH Assessment is to sign and date the document.
There are many documents available to help companies work safely and comply with health and safety regulations. However, determining which documents are relevant to specific processes and requirements can be challenging, leading to confusion about the distinction between COSHH assessments and risk assessments.
So, are COSHH assessments and risk assessments the same? Simply put, No. They each aim to reduce workplace risk, but while a COSHH assessment specifically addresses substances that employees may encounter, a risk assessment addresses physical and environmental issues.
Method statements are not a legal requirement but have become the expected norm, especially in high-risk industries such as construction. The advantage of a method statement is that it will list any COSHH or risk assessments that are relevant to carrying out a task safely.
- Method Statement: The method statement is a safe system of work that states which COSHH and risk assessments must be read before starting a task.
- Risk Assessment: Lists the potential risks and control measures that a person may encounter whilst carrying out a task. An example risk may be the wind factor when carrying sheet materials, with the control measure being not to carry sheet materials over certain wind speeds.
- COSHH Assessment: Following on from the above, the sheet material may produce dust when handled, which would be a substance risk rather than an environmental risk.
The COSHH regulations were established to control exposure to hazardous substances in the workplace and are enforced under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, obliging employers to take proactive measures to manage and mitigate risks associated with hazardous substances.
COSHH regulations cover a wide range of substances, and employers must identify these substances and understand the potential health risks that employees may face when coming into contact with them. This involves consulting safety data sheets, understanding labelling, and being aware of any additional documentation that might provide insight into the hazardous nature of the substances used or produced in the workplace.
Employers are required to conduct COSHH assessments to identify potential hazards and evaluate the severity and likelihood of harm. They must then implement appropriate control measures to either eliminate or significantly reduce risks to an acceptable level. These measures can include substituting hazardous substances with safer alternatives or employing engineering controls such as ventilation systems.
In addition to implementing control measures, COSHH regulations require employers to ensure that all employees receive adequate training and information about the hazards they may encounter. This includes understanding how to use personal protective equipment (PPE) correctly and knowing safe working practices to minimise exposure.
Employers are also required to engage in health surveillance if there is a likelihood that employees could be exposed to health risks. Regular monitoring and health checks help identify any adverse effects at an early stage, allowing for timely interventions.
Involving employees in the process allows them to gain first-hand experience with hazardous substances to provide valuable feedback on the effectiveness of existing control measures and highlight areas needing improvement.
Also employees are responsible for several COSHH regulations, including:
- Assisting co-workers in creating a safe work environment
- Following procedures • Wearing correct PPE
- Reporting any incidents, including accidents, spillages and breakages
- Attending medical check-ups if and when required
- Using cleaning materials and showering facilities provided by employers in line with workplace procedures
- Keeping up to date by attending relevant training