The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002 are a set of directives that put out clear duties on employers to control those substances which may pose any health risk to their employees.
When it comes to COSHH both employers and employees have responsibilities to ensure a safe working environment for everyone.
These regulations provide knowledge on how to correctly handle hazardous substances in the workplace. This blog post will explain the roles and responsibilities of both employers and their staff in this regard.
Why is COSHH Important?
Whilst working with hazardous substances workers may suffer from lung disease, skin disease, or cancer. These diseases cost a huge amount to businesses and organizations every year in terms of legal, moral, and financial claims on them.
When COSHH principles are implemented effectively within a workplace, these accidents and incidents significantly reduce to a number to create a safe workplace for everyone as well as help ensure compliance with the relative legislation.
Following COSHH regulations help companies, businesses, and workplaces save money and are more effective by not having to replace trained workers. It, on the other hand, improves employee productivity, enhances performance, and boosts their morale.
A safe workplace also ensures that workers stay healthy which leads to healthy profits and a good business reputation.
Substances Covered by COSHH
Numerous substances come under the umbrella of COSHH. But some broader categories that come under COSHH are:
- Chemicals
- Products containing chemicals
- Fumes
- Dust
- Vapors
- Mists
- Gases
COSHH Responsibilities
COSHH safety and health legislation require employers to control substances that are hazardous to the health of the employees or anyone who come across the work activities on your premises. Every workplace has different nature and so does present various hazards.
Therefore, both employers and employees must ensure that they meet safety standards to comply with the law and so have their respective duties to perform each day.
Employer’s Responsibilities
Under the COSHH regulations, employers have the responsibility to educate and inform staff on how to complete the task safely and provide the correct equipment.
Some of the major responsibilities include:
- Keep regular checks for the tasks which involve the use of hazardous substances
- Implement control measures to prevent the staff from the exposure to substances hazardous to health
- Provide employees with the suitable instruction, and training
- Provide the right personal protective equipment (PPE) for work such as eye and nose protection equipment, gloves, overalls, shoes, or any relevant equipment needed
- Provide adequate accident and action plans for when accidents do happen
- Provide COSHH risk assessments to identify and control the hazard
- Check and inspect the workers carrying out tasks as they are supposed to
Employee’s Responsibilities
Employees’ responsibilities within the COSHH regulations include:
- Make use of control measures and facilities provided by the employers
- Follow the set procedures to minimize the accidents and exposure to hazardous substances
- Wear & store the personal protective equipment (PPE) safely
- Remove the PPE that could cause contamination before eating and drinking
- Keep the skills updated with the information provided
- Use cleaning facilities provided by the employers
COSHH Risk Assessment
A COSHH risk assessment is the same as the standard risk assessment in terms of process, but a COSHH risk assessment focuses solely on hazardous substances at work.
To fully comply with COSHH, the following are the effective steps of undertaking a COSHH risk assessment.
- Identify the hazards
- Decide who can be injured & in what way
- Assess the hazards & decide on the protections
- Document your findings & apply them
- Examine your assessments & update if required
Along with these, to fully comply with COSHH, employers must undertake the following eight basic control measures to mitigate and control the risk.
Step 1: Assess the Risk
The first step is to assess whether there is a problem with any substance being used, or if the employees are exposed to any hazardous substance. Employers must assess and identify any risk arising from hazardous substances in the workplace and implement ways to prevent them.
Step 2: Decide what Precautions are Needed
Once significant risks have been assessed and identified, employers must decide on what precautions are needed to eradicate them from the workplace. Employers must not conduct such work that may pose certain risks to their staff’s safety.
Step 3: Prevent the Exposure
The third step is to prevent and control the exposure to hazardous substances employees. Employers must take reasonable steps to prevent their employees, if they are unable to do so, they must control it to the extent that they can work safely.
Step 4: Ensure the Preventive Measures are Implement & Maintained
COSHH requires the members of the staff to make proper use of control measures and to report defects to their employers. It also places specific duties on individuals to ensure controls are kept in efficient working order.
Step 5: Monitor Exposure
Under the COSHH regulations, employers must monitor the exposure to any hazardous substances to ensure that workplace exposure limits do not exceed, control measures are working properly, and maintain monitoring records.
Step 6: Conduct Health Surveillance
COSHH requires employers to conduct health surveillance where an employee is exposed to hazardous substances or where employees are exposed to substances linked to a particular disease.
Step 7: Prepare Plans & Procedures to Deal with Accidents or Emergencies
Prepare effective plans and procedures to deal with accidents, incidents, or emergencies involving hazardous substances where necessary.
Step 8: Ensure Employees are Properly Informed & Trained
The eighth and last step of the process is to ensure that staff is properly educated and trained to work competently with hazardous substances and to meet legal compliance. Employers must take into consideration effective ways to easily train their workers.
When it comes to providing training, numerous options are available for employers to go for. There is a wide range of online courses as well such as COSHH risk assessment training, that provides vital information needed to work safely.
Conclusion
This post is a thorough explanation of the roles and responsibilities of employers and their employees to comply with the COSHH regulations and what are the COSHH risk assessment steps that help them identify the ways and procedures to work safely.
