Control COSHH Regulations

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 1989 covers virtually all substances hazardous to health. Only asbestos, lead, materials producing ionizing radiation and substances below ground in mines (which all have their own legislation) are excluded. The Regulations set out measures that employers must implement. Failure to comply with COSHH, in addition to exposing employees and others to risk, constitutes an offence and is subject to penalties under the Health and Safety at Work Act, etc. 1974. 

From the Control of Substances Hazardous toHealth (COSHH) Regulations (1988). OES, occupational exposure standard QAC, quaternary ammonium compound. 

In the United Kingdom the use of substances likely to be harmful to employees is covered by regulations issued by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), under the Health and Safety at Work Act, 1974 (HSAWA). The principal set of regulations in force is the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health regulations, 2002 known under the acronym the COSHH regulations. The COSHH regulations apply to any hazardous substance in use in any place of work. 

Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations... 

Before carrying out any of the following laboratory exercises, the appropriate safety audits should be performed. In particular, attention is drawn to the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) regulations. 

Flammable substances used and stored in the laboratory are also subject to further risk assessment and control in UK law under the the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, the COSHH Regulations 2002, the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 (DSEAR), and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. 

Some aspects of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Act (COSHH) regulations and the Health and Safety at Work Act, will also apply to waste handling, treatment and disposal see Chapter 9. 

Coates, D. Hutchinson, D. N. (1994) How to produce a hospital disinfection policy. JHosp Infect, 26,57-68. Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations (1999) (SI4371999) ISBN 0 11 082087 8. 

The COSHH regulations are concerned with the risk to the person of exposure to so-called controlled substances. These include chemicals that are defined as very toxic, toxic, harmful, corrosive or irritant, as well as dust of any kind in substantial concentration in the air. In practice, the user also needs to know if a chemical in use has nil or minimal hazard, so the hazard information should be readily available for all chemicals used in the laboratory, not just the controlled ones. 

Act (1974) provides the main framework for health and safety, it is the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) regulations of 1994 and 1996 that impose strict legal requirements for risk assessment wherever chemicals are used. Within this context, the use of the terms hazard and risk are very important. A hazardous substance is one that has the ability to cause harm, whereas risk is about the likelihood that the substance may cause harm. Risk is often associated with the quantity of material being used. For example, a large volume of a flammable substance obviously poses a greater risk than a very small quantity. Your laboratory will operate its own safety scheme, so ensure that you are aware of what it is and follow it. 

In the UK the ACGIH list of TLVs was the basis for exposure limits until the 1980s when a UK provision of control limits and exposure standards was developed and incorporated into the regulatory approach encompassed by the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations. Despite this British regulatory position however, the majority of the limits adopted remained ixnchanged from those of the ACGIH list of TLVs. 

However, he acknowledged that there were a number of difficulties in doing so that were presented hy the definitions of Control Limits and Recommended Limits then in use and argued that the nascent COSHH Regulations represented an opportunity to review policy and rationalise the definitions and legal status of... 

The COSHH Regulations introduce two new classes of occupational exposure limits maximum exposure limits (MELs) and occupational exposure standards (OESs). Both of these new limits apply to exposure via the inhalation route and will be used in determining whether exposure has been adequately controlled, if it is not feasible to prevent it altogether. For substances that have been given MELs, the level of exposure should be reduced so far as is reasonably practicable and in any event should not exceed the MEL. For substances with OESs it will be sufficient to ensure that the level of exposure is reduced to the OES. ... 

Monitoring of the atmosphere and workplace for trace pollutants (substances) and compounds of environmental interest is now a common routine requirement to meet environmental legislation such as the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) regulations in the UK. Substances to be analysed are present at concentration levels down ppbv, pgm so that pre-concentration techniques are necessary. The most effective method is to collect the substances using an adsorbent tube, although trapping in an appropriate solvent may also be used. 

A fundamental requirement of the CoSHH regulations is that the exposure of employees to hazardous substances should be prevented, or, where this is not reasonably practicable, adequately controlled. Exposure to harmful materials can occur by inhalation, by ingestion or by absorption through the skin but inhalation is usually the main route of entry into the body. The Health and Safety Commission sets Occupational Exposure Limits , or concentrations of substances in the air at or below which exposure control is considered to be adequate. The values for exposure limits are listed on the Oxford Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory home page (Oxford Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, 2006). Other countries have their own regulations for minimizing risks to users of chemicals and it is recommended that these are consulted before carrying out the tests described here. 

---