Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH)
From our earliest experience developed at the Department of Pathology at Cambridge University, the Sanger Centre and small biotechnology companies around Cambridge, we have extensive knowledge of how to implement modern-day COSHH Regulations.
Even today, after decades of legislation, many companies struggle to assess the use of substances proportionately and appropriately.
The following are some of the issues we have found:
Often the assessment is based on the substance hazard only and not the task activity
Dust exposures are often missed
Sometimes all the substances are assessed even though they are low risk
Information from safety data sheets (SDS) is inconsistent and over relied upon
SDS information does not cover small quantities
HSW Ltd can help undertake COSHH assessments with you and look at how you manage these.
Under the legislation it is important to ensure your controls work. There are requirements for occupational health monitoring, surveillance for staff and air monitoring of the working environment for specific hazard groups and substances.
We can provide advice and support on all these topics.
