When Is It a Legal Requirement to Record the Coshh Risk Assessment

But don`t worry, a COSHH assessment is just a risk assessment for a hazardous substance. If you know how to write a risk assessment, a COSHH assessment is very similar. If exposure prevention is not possible, employers are expected to take protective measures to mitigate risks, including: When assessing exposure, keep in mind daily tasks, routine cleaning and maintenance, and potential spills or releases, as hazards and affected individuals may change. After assessing exposure, you need to determine when exposure could lead to a health risk. Note that your COSHH assessment should be reviewed immediately if: We describe how a member of your team should collect information about hazardous substances in your workplace and identify the risks that hazardous substances pose to employees. We will also consider how you should select and implement appropriate controls, document your findings, and monitor your performance throughout the COSHH evaluation process. As always, when it comes to potentially hazardous construction work, employers are expected to conduct a detailed risk assessment of their construction site to ensure these regulations are being followed. It is not necessary to repeat the entire COSHH evaluation process every time your assessment is reviewed. Instead, the current version should be revised and, if necessary, optimized and updated. The easiest dangerous substances to spot are those that tell you they are dangerous. They give you this information when you buy it. We now know what a COSHH journal is, but who should write a COSHH journal? Deciding who will conduct your COSHH assessment is the first step to becoming COSHH compliant. Before you can perform the COSHH assessments required by the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations, you need someone to perform them.

This article explains exactly what COSHH is, what your legal responsibilities are as an employer, and the five steps of a COSHH assessment. We also discuss why you need to provide a competent person in your organization to conduct your COSHH assessment and what responsibilities these responsibilities should have. 6. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – Provide PPE such as face masks and gloves to employees who are at high risk of being PPE. The employer is also required to record examinations and tests of engineering inspections (e.g. local exhaust air systems) and reusable breathing apparatus, as well as the resulting repairs. These must be kept for at least five years. Once assessed and identified, steps can be taken to minimize risk to an absolute minimum and ensure that safety comes first for your employees. As an employer, it is your responsibility to protect your employees from hazardous substances. To do this, you need to perform a COSHH assessment. Follow the information in this guide to ensure that you comply with your legal obligations.

However, you must first address the hazards with the most serious health risks. You should not ignore them in order to deal with dangers that are quicker or easier to eliminate. Dust can cause all sorts of health problems, including asbestosis and cancer, so it`s no surprise that there is a strict and detailed legal system in the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) that regulates dust in workplaces such as construction sites. Here are 7 types of COSHH control measures and how they reduce risk. COSHH was introduced as a legal framework to protect workers from exposure to hazardous substances. COSHH assessments require UK employers to assess all risks of exposure to hazardous substances and to ensure that the health and safety of workers in the workplace is protected at all times. If the assessment is found to be no longer valid, this does not mean that the entire assessment needs to be revised. Only those parts that do not reflect the new situation should be changed. (e) not being a substance referred to in points (a) to (d), it presents a risk to health by reason of its chemical or toxicological properties and the way in which it is used or present in the workplace; We will now break down each of these steps in more detail so that this article can be used as a reference point when you begin your COSHH risk assessment. For more information on personal protective equipment requirements, see the Personal Protective Equipment Regulations, 2002(1).

When is a COSHH assessment required? Is it when you buy a hazardous substance? Or if you do an activity with it? YES. A good safety data sheet (SDS) is not a substitute for the performance and recording of a COSHH risk assessment. SDS collection is only the first step in the evaluation process. The SDS contains information about the hazardous properties of the substances you use, the health effects associated with their use, the likelihood of them entering the air or skin, and the risk mitigation measures you should take to control exposure to acceptable levels. However, it is not specific to your workplace and cannot take into account the particular environment in which you work. Working with hazardous substances provides more information When you begin to assess exposure, consider potential spills, daily tasks, maintenance and clean-up schedule, and any situation where your employees may be exposed to hazards while on the job. Once exposure has been assessed, the next step is to consider when the exposure could become a health risk. Employees have the right to access their personal surveillance records (upon reasonable notice). Surveillance records should also be available at the request of government officials.

You are required by law to record all results of the FSCP risk assessment if you employ five or more employees. However, we recommend that all companies record their results to be accountable for the changes they implement. These records should list the hazards identified, the precautions taken and the reasons for implementing those precautions. Some substances are produced processually, for example wood dust, which is released during sawing wood. Employers should consider a substance dangerous to health if it is dangerous in the form in which it occurs in the work. You should know if working with the identified hazardous substances has health effects and consider how workers might be exposed, such as using a dry brush to sweep dust? Use this information to assess health risks and minimize exposure by taking reasonable steps, such as using a vacuum instead of a brush or holding lids on containers. How do I perform a COSHH risk assessment? provides more information.