Most workplaces contain substances, or products that are mixtures of substances, that could be hazardous to your health.
Every year, thousands of workers are made ill by hazardous substances. The effect on health can be very serious causing both long and short term effects.
Flip the images to see the ways in which a person can be exposed to a harmful
We have to cover the important legal stuff now.
The COSHH law is called Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (with amendments in 2004). The law applies to activities involving hazardous substances. It is quite a long name so it is more commonly known as COSHH.
As employees, care workers are protected under the COSHH law which says that employers need to prevent or reduce workers’ exposure to hazardous substances.
Ensure that employees are properly informed, trained and supervised
Sufficient information, instruction and training should be provided to include:
Names of hazardous substances in the workplace that employees could be exposed to, the risks associated with exposure and access to safety data sheets
Results of risk assessments
Precautions that need to be taken
How to use Personal Protective Equipment or PPE
Results of monitoring
Emergency procedures to be followed
Most chemicals can be identified by a warning or hazard symbol on their packaging.
Under Classification, Labelling and Packaging (or CLP) Regulations, hazardous products must have a label with a signal word, either “warning” or “danger”.
If the packaging has a hazard symbol, like the one you will find on household bleach, then it is classed as a hazardous substance. If there is no hazard symbol, for example, on household washing-up liquid, then you do not have to consider it under COSHH.
The hazard symbols alert us to the presence of a hazardous chemical and help us to identify that the chemicals we are using might cause harm to people or the environment.
Where this is not possible, controls must be put in place.
One of the controls available are through Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs) which have been set to protect workers’ health. Employers have to make sure each of their employees are not exposed to any hazardous substance that exceeds the WEL for that substance. A control that is put in place will only be considered as adequate if the WEL for a substance has not been exceeded.
But…there will also be different risks. Plus you will have responsibilities at work which are legal requirements.
Each working environment will be different. There are lots of different situations, hazardous substances, risks and controls to reduce the risk of harm. You can make choices in your own home about how you work with hazardous substances but, in the workplace, you need to comply with Regulations.
You will need to consider, plan and practice coping with accidents, incidents and emergencies.
