Due to the potentially significant risks associated with exposure to hazardous substances in the workplace, there is specific health and safety legislation — the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations. In this feature from Croner-i, Caroline Raine outlines the legal requirements.

Employers have a duty to identify hazards — where exposure to hazardous substances will occur — and evaluate whether the current controls are limiting the risk sufficiently. If further controls are required, they must be implemented and monitored to ensure they are working effectively.

The individuals carrying out these assessments need to be competent — have enough training, knowledge and experience of the health and safety issue as well as the workplace — so they can complete a suitable and sufficient risk assessment.

There are important legal requirements placed upon employers and others, which are in place to protect workers from effects of ill health while working with hazardous substances.

Exposure to substances hazardous to health can result in:
• Acute symptoms — ones that come on rapidly and require urgent and short-term care, such as reactions to an irritant, e.g. reddening or swelling of the skin, watering eyes or coughing due to respiratory irritation
• Chronic diseases — conditions that are long-lasting or diseases that are developed following repeated or long-term exposure. Examples of these include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and cancer.