All businesses, even those individuals who are self-employed must take the necessary steps to protect themselves.<\/p>\n
COSHH applies to all industries using harmful substances and this can include catering, baking, beauty and hairdressing, cleaning, agriculture, engineering, motor vehicle repair and so on.<\/p>\n
This guide will cover the following 8 Steps of COSHH:<\/strong><\/p>\n Additional Resources<\/strong><\/p>\n The purpose of COSHH<\/a> is to protect the well-being of your employees, which is required by law.<\/p>\n It guides you through evaluating the risks in your business, to how you can best control or prevent them. Health monitoring and assessment of procedures and equipment should be undertaken regularly to ensure you uphold your compliance with COSHH<\/a>.<\/p>\n Most businesses will work with some substances which pose a health risk, even products such as mild cleaning agents can be hazardous to employees if not used correctly.<\/p>\n The risk assessment aims to identify all harmful substances that can damage health and the tasks where there is exposure to these materials.<\/p>\n Employers may carry out the assessment themselves or delegate to a member of staff who has the knowledge and experience.<\/p>\n This could include qualifications, practical experience of the circumstances, and any training in occupational hygiene. Be mindful that how extensive their abilities need to be, will depend on the individual risk or situation.<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t have the necessary skills in-house, enlist the help of expertise from outside your business.<\/p>\n You do not necessarily need a qualification to carry out a risk assessment, however, the basic skills required are outlined here by the HSE<\/a>.<\/p>\n For detailed information on how to write a COSHH risk assessment view the following <\/strong>guidelines<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n Back to the top<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n If you identify risks from your initial assessment, you should review precautions you can take to remove the risk or whether it\u2019s possible to change internal processes.<\/p>\n Ask yourself:<\/strong><\/p>\n You should compare any control measures you have already with the following:<\/p>\n Think about the necessary precautions you need to take to protect your employees. If you can\u2019t eliminate the hazard, controlling exposure is crucial.<\/p>\n Back to the top<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n If you can\u2019t eliminate the risk, control measures should be put in place for each risk-based activity you identified in your assessment.<\/p>\n Here are some examples of what you need to think about when putting these measures in place.<\/p>\n Helpful Documents<\/strong><\/p>\n Your control measures will depend entirely on the hazard itself. Adequate control under COSHH means:<\/strong><\/p>\n Page 29 of the HSE guide provides details on adequate control including how to use, store, label and dispose of dangerous substances. Available to download here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Back to the top<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n COSHH requires that you maintain your controls so they perform to the standard in which they did when they were initially introduced. You will need to:<\/p>\n This will involve making sure any protective clothing, equipment, or systems are regularly tested and performed to the original standard.[wpanchor id=”#monitorexposure”]<\/p>\n You must retain your records of all tests and examinations carried out for at least 5 years.<\/em><\/p>\n Back to the top<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n To comply with COSHH you need to measure the concentration of hazardous substances in the air which could be breathed in by workers, where your risk assessment has concluded that:<\/p>\n Before monitoring, you should be familiar with the exposure limits. A WEL (workplace exposure limit) is the maximum concentration of an airborne substance over a specified period, to which a person can be exposed.<\/p>\n There are 2 forms of monitoring airborne substances:<\/p>\n You need to keep and maintain any records of exposure monitoring you carry out and allow employees access to their records.<\/p>\n For detailed information on monitoring strategies of harmful substances, review the HSE guide to monitoring toxic substances<\/a>.<\/p>\n Back to the top<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n After taking the steps outlined above, it will be apparent where some risk remains. If the risk remains where:<\/p>\n Health surveillance should be a regularly planned assessment and health records need to be kept for at least 40 years.<\/p>\n The surveillance may involve:<\/p>\n Assessments should be carried out by an occupational health service physician or GP who is competent in occupational medicine.<\/p>\n The HSE provides various guidelines on surveillance<\/a> for different circumstances.<\/p>\n Back to the top<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n In the event of an accident or emergency, you need to have the necessary processes in place to handle such a situation. \u00a0This involves planning for an emergency whereby the exposure to dangerous substances goes far beyond day-to-day contact.<\/p>\n You will need to:<\/p>\n The above must be complied with in full where carcinogens, mutagens or biological agents are used.<\/p>\n Back to the top<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n All employees need to be properly trained and provided with the relevant instructions. You are responsible for ensuring they are fully trained on the following:<\/p>\n This information and employee training should be reviewed and updated when necessary.<\/p>\n If any changes occur to the type of work, method, or substance used, you will need to undergo the steps outlined in this guide; then the relevant documentation and training should be updated.<\/p>\n If you would like advice on training for employees, please review the details on the HSE website here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n
\n
Why do I need COSHH?<\/h2>\n
Step 1. COSHH<\/a> Risk Assessment<\/h2>\n
![\"COSHH](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/COSHH-Risk-Assessment-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/p>\nIdentify who should carry out your assessment<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Your risk assessment will need to include:<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
\n
Risk Assessment Helpful documents<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
Step 2. Precautions<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
Step 3. Prevention or Adequate Control of Exposure<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\n
Step 4. Maintenance of Control Measures<\/h2>\n
\n
Step 5. Monitoring exposure<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
Step 6. Health Surveillance<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
Step 7. Creating Plans and Procedures<\/h2>\n
\n
Step 8. COSHH Training<\/h2>\n
\n