Find Out What CoSHH Assessment Is It All About And How It Relates To You

Much has been written and spoken about CoSHH assessment for workplace hazards. Unfortunately, some of it has been confusing and some even misleading. Here we attempt to present an objective view of what CoSHH assessment is really about and where it fits into a health and safety management system.



With the introduction of the Health and Safety (Offences) Act 2008 on 16th January 2009, it became imperative that Directors and senior management take responsibility for the safe use of hazardous chemicals by their workforce. The new act introduces greater penalties for lesser offences of the Health and Safety at Work Act, and could see Directors and senior managers facing imprisonment and personal fines up to £20,000. The new act must not be confused with the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007, which targets only the criminal liabilities of a company and not the individual. This article concerns itself with introducing the need for compliant and effective CoSHH management and CoSHH assessment to reduce the risk to a company and its employee's.



This article should be treated as a kick start towards safeguarding your business against the ignorance that so often brings "surprise" enforcement when hazardous chemicals are not given the attention they deserve.



Why CoSHH Risk Assessment?


In many countries risk assessment is a legal duty for an employer. In the UK section 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations applies. There are additional provisions, for example concerning the employment of young people, but the basic requirement is as within section 3. Note that the risk assessment is merely part of a process and not, as some documentation and systems seem to suggest, a stand-alone activity. Risk assessment is for a purpose, that of identifying what the employer is required to do to comply with his duties to ensure a safe and healthy workplace. In addition to section 3 there is the CoSHH regulations (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002), which provide additional requirements to the risk assessment process. The main aim of CoSHH is to ensure health and safety professionals produce a CoSHH risk assessment, that ensures no person suffers any adverse effect to their health as a result of the activities of the organisation whilst using hazardous chemicals. When conducting a risk assessment using specific CoSHH software can really help streamline the process.



As a general rule, for both moral and economic reasons, it makes sense to ensure that an organisation's activities achieve this aim. Employees who have been made ill or suffered an accident due to conditions in the workplace, cost money and cannot be as productive and healthy as uninjured workers. Compensation claims, fines for the organisation and all the associated legal, administrative and social costs will be significant for none compliance. If you think investing time in health and safety is expensive, try ignoring it!



Look out for my subsequent articles which will discuss this topic in more detail.