Control Of Substances Hazardous to Health COSHH – Why?

If you run a small business or are self-employed, you need this information to make sure you are protecting your employees. If you run a medium-sized or large business, where decisions about controlling hazardous substances are more complex, you may also need professional advice..

Every year, thousands of workers are made ill by hazardous substances, contracting lung disease such as asthma, cancer and skin disease such as dermatitis. These diseases cost many millions of pounds each year to industry, to

§  replace the trained worker;

§  society, in disability allowances and medicines; and

§  individuals, who may lose their jobs.

You, as the employer, are responsible for taking effective measures to control exposure and protect health. These measures can also improve production or cut waste.

Your aim in running your business is to make a profit. You know what you do, and how you are doing it. You know what ‘processes’ and ‘tasks’ are involved. You know the short cuts. Ensuring your workers remain healthy may also lead to healthy profits.

Which substances are harmful?

§  Dusty or fume-laden air can cause lung diseases, e.g. in welders, quarry workers or woodworkers.

§  Metalworking fluids can grow bacteria and fungi which cause dermatitis and asthma.

§  Flowers, bulbs, fruit and vegetables can cause dermatitis.

§  Wet working, e.g. catering and cleaning, can cause dermatitis.

§  Benzene in crude oil can cause leukemia.

Many other products or substances used at work can be harmful, such as paint, ink, glue, lubricant, detergent and beauty products. Ill health caused by these substances used at work is preventable. Many substances can harm health but, used properly, they almost never do.

Find out the dangers in your business – ask your supplier, your trade association.

Substances can also have dangerous properties. They may be flammable, for example solvent-based products may give off flammable vapour. Clouds of dust from everyday materials, such as wood dust or flour, can explode if ignited.

Look at each substance

Which substances are involved? In what way are they harmful? You can find out by:

§  checking information that came with the product, e.g. a safety data sheet;

§  asking the supplier, sales representative and your trade association;

§  looking in the trade press for health and safety information;

 Think about the task

If the substance is harmful, how might workers be exposed?

§  Breathing in gases, fumes, mist or dust?

§  Contact with the skin?

§  Swallowing?

§  Contact with the eyes?

§  Skin puncture?

 

Bear these in mind when you look at the tasks.

Exposure by breathing in

Once breathed in, some substances can attack the nose, throat or lungs while others get into the body through the lungs and harm other parts of the body, e.g. the liver.

Exposure by skin contact

Some substances damage skin, while others pass through it and damage other parts of the body. Skin gets contaminated:

·         by direct contact with the substance, e.g. if you touch it or dip your hands in it;

·         by splashing;

·         by substances landing on the skin, e.g. airborne dust;

·         by contact with contaminated surfaces – this includes contact with contamination inside protective gloves.

 

Exposure by swallowing

People transfer chemicals from their hands to their mouths by eating, smoking etc. without washing first.

Exposure to the eyes

Some vapours, gases and dusts are irritating to eyes. Caustic fluid splashes can damage eyesight permanently.

Exposure by skin puncture

Risks from skin puncture such as butchery or needlestick injuries are rare, but can involve infections or very harmful substances, e.g. drugs.

CO The Silent Killer

At 20:29 on 08 Dec 2017 both fire engines from Newton Abbot were mobilised to a Carbon Monoxide (CO) alarm sounding.

The occupier had correctly exited the house and was waiting outside. Two crew members dressed in BA investigated with a gas detector. They found there was a small reading on the gas detector. We checked all around the log burner and did have constant readings.

CO is a colourless, odourless and tasteless gas produced by the incomplete burning of carbon based fuels. We decided to extinguish the log burner before re checking. During this we noticed a metal bucket on the hearth and needed to use it. It was full of ash, so we took it outside to empty it. Whilst doing this we noticed it was warm. We held the gas detector over the ash and it immediately went into full alarm mode.

We disturbed the crust on the ash and the embers below were hot and orange. The reading on our monitor increased from 129 PPM to 378 PPM (parts per million). Headache and nausea after 1-2 hours of exposure. Life threatening in 3 hours. Symptoms can be found on one of the pictures.
The occupier empties the old ash from the log burner into the bucket regularly but does not take it outside until its full.

The embers were producing CO into the lounge which caused the CO alarm to sound. Luckily for this person they had an alarm!

Please do not leave ash/embers inside your property, remove it to a safe place in the open air immediately after cleaning. In the pictures you can see the Watch Manager holding the gas detector just above the ash, with the lights flashing and the reading of 378 PPM. We checked the log burner inside before leaving which had a reading of zero, confirming the bucket of ash as the source.