INTERNSHIP REPORT

Report
On
Online Summer Internship Programme
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health

Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the mandatory

Industrial Internship training programme

Submitted by:
Giram Mohammad Saad (408111)

Department Of Chemical Engineering

MGM Jawaharlal Nehru Engineering College, Aurangabad, Maharashtra

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Certificate

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INDEX

Sr. No Content Page no.

1 Introduction 4
2 Hazardous substance 6
3 The CoSHH Assessment Process 8
4 Some important terms in COSHH 12
5 Health concerns 14
6 Conclusion 15

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Introduction:
The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations first came
into force in the 1st of October 1989. However, these regulations were
made, introduced, and laid before parliament in 1988. So this first
version of the regulations is known and was named as The Control of
Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1988 (even though they
didn't come into force until a year later in 1989).

COSHH was
the most

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significant legislation to be introduced under the Health and Safety at

Work etc Act 1974. When it was first introduced in 1988, COSHH didn't
include biological agents like moulds, bacteria and viruses. However, it
was expanded to cover these 6 years later, in 1994.
The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH)
Regulations 1988 were first introduced, coming into forceon the 1st
October 1989.Compliance with the COSHH regulations should not be
seen simply as a form filling exercise. The assessment should be viewed
as an essential decision-making process on the control measures required
to be implemented to ensure minimum exposure to hazardous chemicals
is achieved. The decisions made should be based on the chemical
information supplied and obtained and the reaction conditions to be
applied to the hazardous chemical.

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Definition of a Hazardous Substance

There are many different definitions of hazardous substances but the

following criteria are commonly accepted as some of the most useful
descriptions:

 Substances hazardous to health are defined under COSHH as those

that have the properties of being Very Toxic; Toxic; Corrosive; Harmful
or Irritant.

 Chemicals that have been assigned a Workplace Exposure Limit

(WEL) by the Health and Safety Executive (for further information see
HSE Publication EH40, Workplace Exposure Limits)

 Any dust with an average concentration in air that exceeds the levels
specified in the COSHH regulations (currently a concentration of greater
than 10mgm -3 of inhalable dust or 4mgm-3 of respirable dust as a time
weighted average over an 8-hour reference period)

 Biological agents that are directly connected with a work activity

(e.g. Legionella bacteria arising from water cooling towers present in the
workplace)

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 Other substances that are hazardous to health that don’t fall into the
above categories. (e.g. asphyxiant gases, sensitisers, carcinogenic
substances etc.)

The CoSHH Assessment Process

The cornerstone of the COSHH Regulations is that an ‘assessment’ must

be undertaken prior to work commencing. HoMU are free to develop
COSHH Assessment Forms which they feel best suit their needs.
Examples of COSHH forms are available on the SEPS website.

It is recommended that an activity based approach is used to complete

the COSHH assessment and that the process is undertaken by personnel
who have knowledge, experience and information regarding the risks
associated with the activity. Where possible all COSHH assessments
shouldbe formally recorded even those where the activity is considered
trivial and only involves a single chemical substance even if this
substance’s only hazard property is noted as flammable. Processes such
as solvent distillation and the generation of a flammable gas atmosphere
such as hydrogen are covered by the Dangerous Substances and
Explosive Atmospheres (DSEAR) regulations and a DSEAR

Assessment should be completed for this type of work. To be effective,

the COSHH assessment should:

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 Consider the chemicals present, used or likely to be produced

including by-products and intermediates if exposure is possible

 Identify the properties of these substances

 Identify the hazards associated with these substances

 Identify possible exposure routes by which personnel and others may

come into contact with the substance

 Identify all personnel (and others) who may be at risk to exposure as

a result of this chemical activity.

 Take into account personnel who may

be particularly at risk due to their
physical condition (e.g. young persons,
pregnant females and staff with known
medical conditions).
A substantial amount of information will
be provided by Safety Data Sheets (SDS)
to assist with chemical identification
requirements but these sheets
bythemselves do not constitute as a
COSHH assessment meaning that a
separate assessment will be required before starting a process.If during

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the evaluation of the process, a risk of exposure is identified the

assessment should be expanded to include precautions and control
measures designed to minimise that exposure.

 Specified control measures put in place to minimise exposure e.g.

Fume Cupboards, Safety Cabinets, Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) and
the type of PPE to be worn.

 Where necessary instructions on how to use the specified control

measures and training to personnel who will be involved in the
procedure.

 The Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to be followed to ensure

exposure is kept to a minimum which should be understood and agreed
by the user prior to beginning work.

 Some systems (e.g. LEV) must be maintained in accordance with the

manufacturer’s instructions and should be inspected annually by a
qualified person.

The examination of ducted fume cupboards and other room LEV

systems is presently arranged by the University’s Estates & Buildings
Service. The HoMu is responsible for ensuring arrangements are in place
for the examination and maintenance of safety cabinets.It is always
possible that an accident spillage or other unforeseen event could cause a

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hazardous substance to be released the risk assessment should include a

summary of emergency procedure that will be adopted including:

 Instructions on how to render the activity safe in the event of an

accident e.g. switching off equipment.

 Contact details of responsible person(s) who will be associated with

the activity. These should include out of hours contact details where
required.

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HEALTH CONCERNS:

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CONCLUSION:
The main purpose of COSHH, as per their name, is to control and
mitigate the hazards associated with handling dangerous materials at
work to protect all members of staff. The next most important purpose is
to train employees in implementing the safety strategies the company
has laid out. This is achieved by progressing through a number of steps,
including identifying risks, implementing control measures, drafting
safety data sheets, providing employees with protective equipment and
monitoring their well-being if necessary, as per Health and Safety
Executive or HSE guidelines.[1] All of these steps are important in
securing the overall goal of personal protection.

The first step for all employers is to carry out thorough risk assessments
to identify areas of a particular workplace or job that will expose staff
members to hazards. Companies may have their own procedures for this,
but a COSHH assessment will provide information for both employers
and employees alike about the potential physical consequences of a
particular substance.

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