COSHH stands for The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health. It is a legal requirement that you have this legislation in place at all times. This is the law that requires all employers to control substances that are hazardous to health - but why is COSHH important?
COSHH is put in place by the Health and Safety Executive to ensure the safety of all staff members and others.
More and more businesses are using substances, products or mixtures that could cause harm to employees and other people. This is why it is important to carry out the COSHH regulations and follow them correctly.
Throughout this blog, we will be exploring why COSHH risk assessments are important in the workplace and giving you a step-by-step guide on how you can stop the risk of exposure to hazardous substances in your workplace.
Why Are COSHH Regulations Important?
COSHH regulations are key for safeguarding the health and safety of workers in various industries where they may come into contact with hazardous substances.
These regulations require employers to identify, assess, and control the risks associated with hazardous substances in the workplace, ensuring that appropriate measures are in place to protect employees from exposure to harmful chemicals or materials.
One of the key reasons why COSHH regulations are important is that they help prevent occupational illnesses and injuries caused by exposure to hazardous substances.
Implementing control measures such as substitution, engineering controls, and personal protective equipment (PPE) can minimise the risk of adverse health effects such as respiratory problems, skin irritation, and long-term chronic conditions.
COSHH regulations can help to ensure compliance with legal requirements and industry standards, reducing the risk of:
- Regulatory fines
- Legal liabilities
- Reputational damage for businesses
When you demonstrate a commitment to health and safety best practices, you can create a safer and healthier work environment, boost employee morale and productivity, and enhance overall organisational performance.
Ultimately, COSHH regulations play a vital role in protecting workers' health and safety, mitigating risks associated with hazardous substances, and promoting a culture of safety and responsibility in the workplace.
What is a COSHH Assessment?
A COSHH assessment focuses on any potential risks from hazardous substances within the workplace. An employer's legal duty is to reduce any potential risks to your worker's health and safety.
For example, if you work on a construction site, you will work with hazardous substances in abundance that you deal with on a daily basis.
Whether this may be cement, lead, solvents, dust or carbon monoxide, it is important to be aware of these so you are able to prevent any incidents from occurring.
You mainly find lead in older, abandoned buildings. If you were to inhale lead dust, then this could lead to serious health problems.
Carbon monoxide is another hazard you need to look out for in construction, as it is a silent but deadly type of gas. For more information on the risks associated with working on a construction site, click here!
There are five steps involved in a COSHH assessment, such as:
- Collecting information on substances you use
- Evaluate the health risks
- Select the appropriate control measures to reduce or eliminate risks
- Record what you find and put your control measures into place
- Monitor health surveillance and review your assessment
To identify hazardous substances, you should walk around your workplace and keep an eye out for any potential hazards or risks.
Choose a Competent Person
It is important that before you start your COSHH assessment, you identify who the competent person is. This is someone who will carry out the assessment and complete COSHH training. Whether this person is yourself, an employee or someone from outside of your work, it is important that this is established before starting the COSHH assessment.
A competent person is someone who has the correct amount of ability, knowledge and skills that allow them to prevent and recognise hazards to health regulations before they happen. A competent person needs to have the correct experience in your area of work in order to put suitable controls in place to protect people from harm.
Are COSHH Assessments Important?
COSHH assessments are important as they are put into place to ensure the safety of others. They are used as a tool to help employers identify certain hazards and risks within the workplace. The majority of companies use hazardous substances on a day-to-day basis, which is why it is important that you follow the COSHH regulations correctly.
When you follow COSHH regulations, you will be able to identify what substances are hazardous as well as understand why they are. This improves your overall workplace safety as you are preventing incidents from happening.
For example, mercury is an example of a hazardous substance that is most commonly found in dental practices; therefore, the COSHH guidelines have to be followed. But how do you protect yourself against hazardous substances?
The answer is to simply wear the correct PPE. For example, when dealing with mercury, you must wear a mask, a visor, gloves and an apron. The same goes for the handling of other hazardous substances, such as carbon monoxide.
It is important to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) such as clothing, footwear, gloves, respirators and eye protection to ensure you are safe and protected at all times. Additionally, you need to consider your workplace exposure limits (which intend to protect workers from excessive exposure to toxic chemicals in the workplace as much as possible), because without COSHH, this could get out of hand and your workers could face severe life-changing illnesses if not looked at properly.
What Happens if You Don't Follow COSHH Regulations?
If you fail to follow COSHH regulations, it can have serious consequences for both employers and employees. Ignoring COSHH guidelines can lead to various health and safety hazards, including exposure to harmful chemicals or materials, which can result in occupational illnesses, injuries, or even fatalities.
Non-compliance with COSHH regulations can result in enforcement action by regulatory authorities, such as fines, prohibition notices, or even criminal prosecution. These penalties can significantly impact a business's finances, reputation, and operations, leading to costly legal expenses, damage to brand credibility, and potential closure of the workplace.
Moreover, failure to comply with COSHH regulations can create a negative work environment, negatively impact employee trust, and lower morale, ultimately affecting productivity and employee retention.
Therefore, it is essential for employers to understand and adhere to COSHH regulations to protect the health and safety of their workforce and avoid the severe consequences of non-compliance.
How Can Beaconrisk Help?
Here at Beaconrisk, we offer a wide range of health and safety, accreditation support and e-learning services available to help protect your business, workplace and reputation.
We can speak with you to determine which accreditation is best suited for you, whether it be CHAS, SafeContractor, Constructionline or any other accreditation. See the list of accreditations we can help you acquire here.
We also offer health and safety courses that cover COSHH legislation and everything you need to know about the control of substances hazardous to health.