COSHH Policy

We will always thoroughly assess hazardous substances through Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) assessments. We will consider the nature of substances, the work environment, and specific hazards involved. Our aim isn’t just legal compliance; we want to continuously improve how we manage hazardous substances, following the hierarchy of control measures outlined in relevant guidance.

What are hazardous substances?

Hazardous substances include a wide range of materials that could cause harm through ingestion, inhalation, skin contact, or other means. They can be solids, liquids, vapours, gases, asphyxiants, or biological agents.

All hazardous substances we use need to follow legislative labelling practices and be accompanied by up-to-date Safety Data Sheets (SDS). SDS include crucial information and will be important for our hazardous substance risk assessments. If a SDS is not supplied with the product we will not use it, unless or until the supplier provides one”

Risk Assessment

We will complete comprehensive risk assessments to identify and control exposure to hazardous substances to as low as is reasonably practicable. Our approach will focus on the hierarchy of control measures:

• Elimination
• Substitution
• Engineering controls
• Administrative controls
• Personal protective equipment (PPE)

How we will work safely with hazardous substances

• We will make sure all relevant employees complete training on handling hazardous substances to promote safety in the workplace
• we will make sure that exposure to hazardous substances does not exceed any relevant Workplace Exposure Limit, including regular monitoring
• we will make sure health surveillance and health monitoring is carried out, where deemed necessary
• any equipment provided to control exposure will be suitable for purpose, and inspected and maintained, including thorough examinations where appropriate
• we will prioritise communication and consultation to make sure stakeholders are actively involved in the risk assessment process, including: providing emergency information; regular policy reviews and/or updates; checking that hazardous substance risk assessments align with current legislative requirements and best practices.