1. COSHH Assessment - Its Purpose
Health and safety legislation is intended to keep people safe. Everyone should return home safely at the end of a work shift, unharmed by the activities they have undertaken. This rule applies to anyone who could be affected by the work activities of an organisation such as customers, neighbours, suppliers, the general public.
For this to happen, the legislation must be explained clearly and in a way that can be understood easily. This must be a principle applied to every element of health and safety within an organisation. The Competent Person must monitor the level of understanding among all workers: there is no point in having a system in place which cannot be understood and put into practice.
A COSHH Assessment is a brief document – usually a single page, occasionally two pages but rarely, if ever, more than this. The information supplied on the safety data sheet is summarised, with the important points clearly set out. All your organisation’s COSHH Assessments should be on the same template so that those who have to read them get used to the layout.
The quality of writing on Safety Data sheets varies hugely. It is up to the person writing the COSHH Assessment to put the information into clear and easily-digested language. The Competent Person has to ensure COSHH Assessments are in place and up to date, but he or she doesn’t have to write them if there is another person within the organisation who can do this better!
Using a COSHH Assessment
- COSHH Assessments are used to make sure substances are stored safely, empty containers are disposed of correctly, the safest possible substance is being used, that spillages or releases are dealt with quickly and safely, that accidents are treated correctly, that the correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is available and used, that the correct extinguishing measures are used in a fire involving the substance.
- The second use is for immediate access to the necessary information in case of an emergency. If someone accidentally inhales a harmful substance, colleagues need to know very quickly what first aid they must administer. If a toxic substance is spilled, those in the vicinity need to know what they must do to protect themselves and the environment. COSHH Assessments contain exactly this information quickly and clearly.
COSHH Assessments must be to hand wherever the substances they refer to are used or produced. Everyone in that area must know where they are. It’s a good idea to laminate them so that they don’t get damaged (and it’s better to have them physically available rather than having to try to find them in a computer file – this can waste valuable time).