The Importance of COSHH Training in the Workplace

Why is COSHH training important? Most workplaces use substances or products that could cause harm to people’s health or pose risk to their life. According to the latest HSE statistics, approximately 13,000 people die every year due to past exposure at work, mostly to chemicals or dust; 17,000 people experience breathing and lung problems and around 8,000 people experience skin problems that started or became worse at work.

Training on COSHH helps to ensure that employees understand the risks of working with hazardous materials and follow internal protocols, which is essential to mitigate the risk of illness and injury.

What does COSHH mean?

COSHH stands for the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health. It is a set of health and safety regulations that requires businesses to protect its employees from harmful substances. COSHH regulations outline essential safety measures for storing, handling, using and disposing of hazardous substances to reduce the risks that these substances pose and keep exposure to a minimum.

What does COSHH cover?

Any substances that can be hazardous to a person’s health or life are covered by COSHH. This includes chemicals, products holding chemicals, fumes, dusts, vapours, mists, nanotechnology, gases and asphyxiating gases, and biological agents. These substances may cause harm when they come into contact with skin or eyes, when they are inhaled, swallowed, injected or by causing explosion and fire.

What is not covered by COSHH?

COSHH does not cover lead, asbestos or radioactive substances because these have their own specific regulations.

What are the COSHH symbols and their meanings?

Any containers that hold a hazardous substance or hazardous element must display a COSHH symbol label. There are 9 COSHH symbols that alert people about the harm that a substance or a product can cause. The symbols warn people that they must take proper precautions to avoid any harm to themselves, others, or the environment. COSHH symbols are international, so people who handle or use hazardous substances can recognise and understand these symbols across the world.

Hazardous substances must display one or more of the of the following COSHH symbols.

Explosive symbol warns that a substance can potentially explode if not handled and stored with extreme care. People should only use these substances with specialised training and supervision. This symbol marks explosives such as fireworks and ammunition.

Flammable symbol warns that a substance can easily ignite and burn quickly. This symbol marks flammable substances or products such as industrial solvents, cleaners, adhesives, paints, waxes, and polishes. People must keep flammable substances away from heat, sparks or open flames.

Oxidising symbol warns about substances that can cause a dangerous reaction with other substances. This reaction could start a fire or explosion and increase the intensity of a fire. Oxidisers can be dangerous when using or storing them near heat, sparks or open flames. Oxidisers are common in most workplaces, and it is usually present in bleach. So, hairdressers and cleaners should be mindful about how they use and store their bleaching products. The Oxidising COSHH symbol is also present on medical oxygen cylinders.

Corrosive symbol warns about substances that can damage living tissue or any other material if they come into contact with it. Corrosive substances can damage metals or other strong materials and severely injure skin and eyes. If a person breathes in or swallows a corrosive product, it can burn their nose, throat, or stomach. Corrosive substances are present in bleach, drain cleaner and pesticides. They are also present in activities such as printing and preserving food. Workers that handle corrosive substances must wear PPE to ensure that they do not accidentally come into contact with a substance and suffer harm.

Toxic symbol means that a substance can cause severe health damage, even if a person is exposed to a small amount and for a short time. If a person swallows, inhales or touches the substance with bare skin, the consequences can be fatal. Toxic substances should be substituted with safer alternatives, otherwise they must be handled with extreme care. If a person does come into contact with a toxic substance, they must seek immediate medical advice. The toxic symbol label is present on pesticides, biocides and methanol.

Hazardous to the environment symbol warns about substances that can cause serious immediate or long-term damage to one or more components of the environment if people use or dispose of them incorrectly. This symbol is present on containers that hold pesticides, petrol, turpentine and biocides. These substances cause damage in rivers and lakes, so people should never pour them down the drain.

Health hazard symbol means that a substance can cause harm to health. If a person swallows, inhales or touches these substances, they may feel drowsy or dizzy and experience eye irritation, respiratory problems or allergic reactions. The Health hazard symbol is present on washing detergents, toilet cleaners and coolant fluid.

Serious health hazard symbol warns that a substance can severely damage a person’s health or can even be fatal if they ingest or inhale it. Small exposures to these substances over a long period of time can cause asthma, allergies, cancer, damage to fertility or genetic defects. The serious health hazard symbol is present on turpentine and petrol containers.

Gas under pressure symbol is present on containers that store pressurized gas, such as gas containers, cylinders and air conditioning units. The symbol warns that a gas container may explode when heated and cause a fire. This symbol is also present on refrigerated gas containers, which could cause cryogenic injuries and burns if they are damaged.

Who is affected?

Most workplaces use a variety of substances that are hazardous to health. This means that many people come into contact with these substances daily without having a true understanding of COSHH hazards and risks. This includes people who work in cleaning, decorating, beauty and hairdressing salons, healthcare, manufacturing, construction, transport, utilities, laboratories, farms, office environments and other occupational settings.

If people do not handle hazardous substances correctly, they can suffer serious illnesses or injuries and the consequences can be fatal. Depending on the hazards that these substances pose, workers can develop serious skin diseases, breathing conditions, cancers and other health complications. Inappropriate handling of hazardous substances can also cause fires and explosions, which present dangers to workers’ health and can cause life-threatening burn injuries.

COSHH risks are different in each occupation. Whatever your job, it is essential to understand COSHH, be able to recognise COSHH symbols and be aware of harmful substances and the dangers associated with using them at work.

Who is responsible for COSHH at work?

The main responsibility to keep good COSHH standards in a workplace and follow COSHH regulations falls on employers. They must safeguard workers’ health and safety and control employees’ exposure to hazardous materials by implementing correct policies and procedures and training employees.

Every employee must protect themselves and their colleagues from the dangers of hazardous substances by following the health and safety measures that their employer has put in place, reporting any issues to their employer, wearing correct PPE and adhering to all information provided in COSHH training.

What are employer’s responsibilities under COSHH?

In order for employers to comply with COSHH Regulations 2002, the following measures must be taken, employers must:

Written risk assessment

Have a written risk assessment for any substances that workers are using or producing within the workplace that are hazardous to health. The risk assessment must name the substances that are harmful, specify who is in danger and how, and evaluate the risks.

Precautions to prevent exposure

Decide on precautions to prevent exposure, such as replace a substance with a safer alternative or change work practices so that people are less exposed to the harmful substance. For example, a factory might lower the temperature to minimise the amount of harmful vapour getting into the air so that people don’t inhale it.

Prevent exposure

Prevent exposure to hazardous substances if it is reasonably practical to do so, or apply measures to adequately control exposure to the hazardous substance. For example, increase ventilation, reduce the time workers are exposed to a harmful substance, provide PPE (personal protective equipment) and display warning signs.

Use and maintain control measures

Ensure that a workplace uses and maintains control measures to reduce exposure to a substance hazardous to health. Control measures may include reviewing systems of work, examining ventilation, cleaning the workplace space and equipment, or assessing quality and effectiveness of PPE. Employers must review these measures regularly.

Keep track of exposure to any hazardous substances

Keep track of exposure to any hazardous substances in the workplace to ensure that it does not exceed legal workplace exposure limits.

Conduct health surveillance

Conduct and record health surveillance in appropriate cases to assess employees’ health regarding exposure to hazardous substances.

Plan for emergencies

Plan for emergencies to conduct essential procedures in an emergency involving a hazardous substance.

Provide information, instructions and training

Provide information, instructions and training for employees and anyone that can be exposed to hazardous substances in the workplace. They must be are aware of the substances they are using, the risks associated with exposure to these substances, the precautions they should take and emergency procedures they must follow.

Need COSHH Awareness training?

COSHH training is essential for anyone whose work involves hazardous substances. Our online COSHH training helps people to recognise hazardous substances, understand the health risks associated with exposure to the substances and helps them to understand the importance of following correct work practices, including handling, storing and disposing of hazardous substances. Training helps to minimise accidents and keep workers safe in their daily activities.

Also, COSHH training is essential to comply with COSHH regulations. According to the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002, every employer who undertakes work which is liable to expose an employee to a substance hazardous to health shall provide that employee with suitable and sufficient information, instruction and training.

We offer the following online RoSPA assured and CPD certified course:

Online COSHH Awareness Training