Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH)

Introduction

Under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH 2002) employers are required to make arrangements to control the exposure of their employees to all substances which may affect their health.  Exposure must be prevented or, where this is not reasonably practicable, adequately controlled.

The COSHH Regulations 2002 apply to a very wide range of substances and preparations (mixtures of two or more substances) with the potential to cause harm if they are inhaled, ingested or come into contact with or are absorbed through the skin.  These include individual chemicals or preparations such as paints, cleaning materials, drugs where there are a risk of exposure to staff, metals, pesticides and insecticides.  They can also be biological agents, such as pathogens or cell cultures.  Substances hazardous to health can occur in many forms e.g. solids, liquids, vapours, gasses, dusts, fumes, mist and smoke.

The COSHH Regulations 2002 do not apply to substances which may cause a risk to health of a person to whom the substance is administered in the course of their medical treatment those risks would be considered in a suitable clinical risk assessment.

COSHH Risk Assessments

The COSHH Risk Assessments below are generic. The assessor of the department must download the required risk assessment. The assessors must ensure that they reflect how the substances are used and stored within their department and assessors must ensure that they complete all of the blank required headings. The activity/process section must be reviewed and amended to reflect the process undertaken in their department and review and add any additional actions on the action plan. Add in any SOP’s that are followed within the department. A blank pro-forma is available for teams who have specialised substances which they only use, and support is available from the Health and Safety Team should this be required.

Trained risk assessors should be implemented in all teams to undertake COSHH assessments on any hazardous substances used. The assessments and the material safety data sheets (MSDS) must all be in a file and/or electronic shared drives for all staff to read. It is the Manager’s responsibility to ensure that this process is followed.

COSHH Risk Assessor Training

By completing this COSHH risk assessor training, learners will understand the risks associated with dangerous substances, and the precautions they can take to ensure their safety and the safety of their colleagues. This training is suitable for staff new to COSHH or have previous experience with COSHH risk assessments and is available to any clinical or non-clinical staff who will be responsible for COSHH within their team. Sessions will be spread out across multiple sites of the Trust to ensure that all appropriate staff have the opportunity to access this training, regardless of their location or base.

To book onto the COSHH risk assessor training, please search for "155 COSHH Risk Assessor Training", without quotation marks, in the "Course Catalogue" page of the "My Learning" section of ESR.

COSHH Database

The COSHH database contains a list of generic substances that are currently being used across the Trust as identified by the health & safety team. Contained within the database are links to the manufacturer websites, links to the product's risk assessment (before the introduction of the necessary control measures), it's safety data sheet and information on hazard statement ratings. The database is password protected to maintain it's integrity, however it can be viewed in read-only mode by staff and safety data sheets can be downloaded from the database and stored locally. Please ensure you are using the latest version of the database if you download it. The database can be downloaded here: COSHH Database

If you are using a generic substance not listed in the database, please inform the health & safety team so that the database can be updated.

Should you have any questions or queries regarding COSHH issues, please contact the health & safety team at stsft.health&safety@nhs.net