Being aware of the latest health and safety legislation is essential in all UK workplaces, and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) regulations make vital reading for many. By law, your business must ensure compliance, with both employers and employees responsible for the safe and suitable handling of hazardous substances at work.

In this blog post, we take a closer look at the basics of Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH), the regulations everyone should be aware of, and how you can ensure the highest standards of compliance in your workplace.

What is COSHH?

COSHH stands for the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health, and governs the control and management of said materials.

Under the latest Control of Substances Hazardous to Health regulations, employers and employees have several duties. This includes the assessment of risk, prevention or control of exposure, maintenance and monitoring of appropriate measures, and use of suitable health surveillance.

As a COSHH compliant workplace, employers are responsible for providing suitable instruction and training to staff, as well as putting procedures in place that effectively and safely handle associated accidents, incidents and emergencies.

What are harmful substances?

There are many substances and/or materials that can cause ill health or present hazards within the modern-day workplace. These may be in the form of dusts, gases, fumes, liquids, gels or powders. Whatever their state, all contain micro-organisms that are harmful to the health of your employees.

Harmful substances include but are not limited to certain paints, cleaning agents, solder fumes, blood, waste, and even flour dust. All substances covered by COSHH present preventable health issues.

What’s not covered by COSHH?

There is a selection of harmful substances that are not controlled or managed in accordance to COSHH regulations. These include lead, asbestos and radioactive materials.

How should you protect your workers?

Protecting your workers and ensuring compliance is easy with the right training and support. Our COSHH Awareness Train the Trainer program has been designed and developed for beginners and experienced instructors looking to deliver their own training to improve workplace safety and compliance.

Delivered across the course of two days, the COSHH Awareness Train the Trainer is suitable for practitioners with all levels of experience serving a long list of industry sectors. The City & Guilds approved course covers several areas, including COSHH basics, regulations, substance identification, routes of entry, data gathering, risk assessment and analysis, control measures, and health surveillance.

Find out more about our COSHH Awareness Train the Trainer program.