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COSHH Overview

The Control of Substance Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations of 1988, consolidated in 1994, amended in 1996, 1997and 1998, 1999 and further consolidated in 2002 are the main piece of legislation covering control of the risks to employees and other people arising from exposure to harmful substances generated out of or in connection with any work activity under the employer's control.  The main objective of the Regulations is to reduce occupational ill health by setting out a simple framework for controlling hazardous substances in the workplace.

Hazardous Substances

In terms of the Regulations, a Substance Hazardous to Health is:

• one that has already been classified as being very toxic (T+), toxic (T), harmful (X), corrosive (C) or irritant (Xi) under the Chemicals (Hazard Information and Packaging) Regulations or CHIP (The Approved Supply List).
  CHIP is the law that applies to suppliers of dangerous chemicals. Its purpose is to protect people and the environment from the effects of those chemicals by requiring suppliers to provide information about the dangers and to package them safely.
• or a substance which has been assigned exposure limits
  How much of the substance is in use or produced by the work activity and how could people be exposed to it? For supplied substances HSE has developed a generic risk assessment guide to help. It uses information on hazard, amount used and simple definitions of dustiness for solids or volatility for liquids. The guide is called COSHH essentials.
• or a substance that is carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to reproduction
  The term carcinogen refers to any substance, radionuclide or radiation which is an agent directly involved in the promotion of cancer or in the facilitation of its propagation. This may be due to genomic instability or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes. Several radioactive substances are considered carcinogens, but their carcinogenic activity is attributed to the radiation, for example gamma rays or alpha particles, which they emit. Common examples of carcinogens are inhaled asbestos and tobacco smoke.
• or a biological agent,
• or dust in substantial concentrations in air and
• any substance not mentioned above but which creates a hazard to health comparable to those mentioned above.

Duties

As with all other regulations building on the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act, legal duties under COSHH are laid primarily on employers and it is their duty to see that proper systems of work and management are in place.  In higher education, the "employer" is taken to be the governing body of the University e.g. the University Council.  Many of the duties that employers owe to their employees extend to non-employees, such as students, who may be affected by the employer's activity. In particular, students and other non-employees need to be given information and training on how to deal with hazardous substances they may encounter in the course of their work or study within the University.

Duties on employees include making proper use of any control measures, following safe systems of work, abiding by local rules and reporting defects in safety equipment.  Non-employees have no specific duties under COSHH but the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act do apply, forbidding the misuse of anything provided in the interests of health, safety or welfare.

What COSHH Requires

Complying with COSHH involves:

• assessing the risks to health arising from hazardous substances at work and deciding what precautions are needed,
• preventing or adequately controlling exposure,
• ensuring that control measures are used, maintained, examined and tested,
• if necessary, monitoring exposure and carrying out health surveillance and
• ensuring that employees are properly informed, trained and supervised.