There
are a number of health and safety regulations in place
that require all employers to monitor the hazardous
substances that their employees are exposed to in order
to prevent ill health. These substances can be passive
in nature until reduced into a dust or fume form, making
them a danger to the respiratory system, thus falling
under the umbrella of COSHH. For example, wood dust.
The most important of these regulations are the ‘Control
of Substances Hazardous to Health’ Regulations (COSHH).
As some
substances found in the workplace - such as dust and fumes
- can put people’s health
at risk, employers must assess the risks and take appropriate
control measures.
What does
this mean for employers?
How
can Mardon Engineering help?
What
does this mean for employers?
Employers are responsible for the welfare of their staff,
and as such there are 8 steps that they must take:
1. Assess the risks in the workplace
2. Decide what precautions are needed
3. Prevent/control exposure
4. Ensure that control measures are maintained
5. Monitor the exposure
6. Carry out health surveillance
7. Prepare procedures for emergencies
8. Ensure employees are informed and trained
9. Ensure a plant and equipment COSHH is carried out at
the required intervals which range from 6 - 14 months dependent
upon the processes involved.
Contact Mardon for further information or to arrange a
survey.
As such employers must know which substances in
their workplace are considered hazardous, what the
exposure limits are for these substances, and whether
they comply with these. Employers have an obligation,
by law, to carry out regular assessments to ascertain
these facts and record the findings. If they do not
comply then measures must be taken to make certain
that they improve.
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How
can Mardon Engineering help?
Ensuring that your place of work complies with the COSHH
Regulations can be difficult and time-consuming, but employers
cannot afford to make mistakes. Mardon Engineering provides
a comprehensive assessment and monitoring service:
- Examination of existing L.E.V. (Local Exhaust
Ventilation) equipment
- Testing and maintenance of extraction systems
- Preparation of a full report as required under the COSHH Regulations
- Additional recommendations/solutions regarding L.E.V. elsewhere
on the site
- Carry out any additional work required to comply with COSHH
If you are interested in COSHH assessments then
contact the Mardon team to discuss your requirements.
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Further
LInks:
For more information on the COSHH Regulations visit the following
health and safety websites:
COSHH Essentials website
http://www.coshh-essentials.org.uk/
Health and Safety Executive COSHH information
http://www.hse.gov.uk/hthdir/noframes/coshh/
Brief Guide to COSHH by the HSE (Format - Adobe
Acrobat PDF / file size - 353K)
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg136.pdf
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