Control of Substances Hazardous to Health

(COSHH)

Dr Stephen Ross
CChem FRSC, Dip NEBOSH, Grad IOSH, AFOH
 Hazardous Substances

• Includes Biological Hazards

• Lead & Asbestos not covered in COSHH as they have

their own regulations
 Hazardous Substances
• Fuel for plant & equipment (oil/petrol / diesel)
– dermatitis, oil acne, cancer
• Cement, plaster
– chronic dermatitis
• Solvents, Paints, thinners
– Sensitisers, allergic dermatitis, narcotic
• Acids
– Burns
• Intermediates and products
– Fumes and dust
 Biological Hazards
• Weils Disease
(Leptospirosis)

• Legionella

• Labs handling live micro - organisms

• Main requirement -Risk assessments (Reg 6)
• Then put in place control measures to ensure
people are not exposed to harmful levels of
exposure.
Toxicology
 Acute Toxicity
• Immediate Effect and often local
• You will often be aware of this but not always

• Corrosive
• Irritant
• Narcotic
 Chronic Toxicity
• Effects not immediate
• by low repeated dose
• Often Systemic- not local
Employer must consider the possible enhanced harmful
effects of combined or sequential exposures

Where a work activity may expose employees to more

than one substance hazardous to health

• Additive 1+1= 2 (xylene + toluene)

• Synergistic 1 + 1 = 10 (ethanol + Carbon

tetrachloride)

• Potentiation 0+1 =10 (Carbon tetrachloride +

isopropanol)
 Other Additive & Potentiation
agents

• MEK increases the specific neurotoxicity of

n-hexane and its oxidation products hexan-2-
ol, hexan-2-one and hexan-2,5-dione
• peripheral neuropathies

• Phosphoric acid and Phenol

• Increases dermatitis risk
 Take into account all relevant
routes of exposure
• Skin absorption/Eye contact
• Inhalation
• Ingestion
• Puncture of the skin
 Skin

Waterproof - but not Chemical proof

 Skin protection
• Barrier creams
– Organic
– Water based protection
– Limited protection
 Gloves
• Need to be the correct size

• Need to be the correct type

• Need to be changed regularly- breakthrough

time

• Need to remove them correctly !

 Skin Surveillance
• Irritants and skin sensitisers
• Don’t just assume it will be hands
• Woods dust, epoxy resins, Gylcidyl ethers,
isocyanates, substituted phosphoric acids
• Paper based self questionnaire (not sufficient)
• Can be responsible person (needs training)
 Eye protection
• Glasses

• Goggles

• Face shields
MucoCiliary Escalator
 Cardiovascular & Digestive system
• Lungs
• Blood
• Liver
• Kidneys
• Bladder
 Hierarchy of COSHH assessment (Reg 7)
• Eliminate

• Substitute

• Collective measures first

• Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV)

• Screening off

• Reduce number of personnel

• Reduce time of exposure

• PPE.
 PPE
• Where adequate control of exposure cannot
be achieved by other means, provide, in
combination with other control measures,
suitable personal protective equipment.
Control of Dust & Fumes

-
How far away from the welding
torch is the LEV still effective?
At a distance equal to
the diameter of the
duct the capture
velocity is ~10% of
hood entry velocity

Should evaluate on tool extraction

Cutting fluid
 Inhalation Protection
• DO NOT SMOKE in work area !!
• Dichloromethane – Tensor Grip, Anti-spatter,…
• Carbon monoxide normal metabolite
• Professional DCM paint strippers need HSE approved
training
– Dichloromethane is converted to Phosgene in
cigarette.
– The odor detection threshold for phosgene is 0.4
ppm, four times the threshold limit value.
 HSG53
67 It is important to know that some pre-existing
medical conditions (examples include breathing
disorders such as asthma, skin allergies, or even
heart problems) may restrict or prevent some workers
wearing any RPE, or certain types of RPE. You will
need to ensure that workers are fit to wear the
selected and required RPE. If unsure, you (the
employer) should arrange for appropriate medical
assessment.
 Lung function- Spirometry
• Asthmagens (Respiratory sensitisers), Toxic by
inhalation, cancer, Silicosis, allergic alveolitis.

• Wood dust, Isocyanates, Welding fume,

Chrome fume and mist, Respirable crystalline
silica, MWF

• RCS chest X-ray after 15 years working and

then every 3 yrs thereafter, consider post offer
(Health surveillance for those exposed to respirable crystalline silica (RCS)-
HSE)
DIGRESSION
 Work in Compressed Air
Regulations 1996
• Tunnelling and other construction work in
compressed air
• Pressure above 0.15 bar
• barotrauma, - change in surrounding pressure causes
direct damage to air-containing cavities in the body
directly connected with the surrounding atmosphere e.g.
ears, sinuses and lungs;
• decompression illness, - predominantly occurs as a
condition involving pain around the joints, or, more rarely,
as a serious, potentially life-threatening condition which
may affect the central nervous system, the heart or the
lungs; and
• dysbaric osteonecrosis, - long-term, chronic condition
damaging the long bones, hip or shoulder joints.
• medical surveillance shall be
commenced before so assigned.
• at intervals of not more than 12
months
• kept in a suitable form for at least 40
years from the date of the last entry
made in it; and
• provided by an appointed doctor
• Specialist medical involving X-rays of long bones. chest
• health questionnaire
• full clinical examination
• spirometry
• audiometry
• Where work is to take place at 1.0 bar or over, the following should also be
added:
– full plate chest radiograph
– haematological examination of blood
• at initial and subsequent examinations:
– exercise tolerance test
– Weight ,
– Ear, nose and throat
– A full plate chest radiograph should be normal
Back to COSHH
 Good Industrial Hygiene
• NO FOOD or DRINKS in areas with Chemicals.
• Wash hands BEFORE going to the toilet
• Wash hands after going to the toilet
• Don’t smoke and work with Chemicals….
• Even better … just don’t smoke
– A smoker exposed to asbestos is 50 times
more likely to die from the result
of the exposure.
 Records
• (4) Every employer shall keep a suitable record of the examinations and tests carried out
and of repairs carried out as a result of those examinations and tests, and that record or a
suitable summary thereof shall be kept available
• for at least 5 years from the date on which it was made.
• (5) Every employer shall ensure that PPE, including protective
• clothing, is:
• (a) properly stored in a well-defined place;
• (b) checked at suitable intervals; and
• (c) when discovered to be defective, repaired or replaced before further use.
• (6) Personal protective equipment which may be contaminated by a substance hazardous to
• health shall be removed on leaving the working area and kept apart from uncontaminated
• clothing and equipment.
• (7) The employer shall ensure that the equipment referred to in paragraph (6) is
subsequently decontaminated and cleaned or, if necessary, destroyed.
 Check and review regularly all elements of
control measures for their continuing
effectiveness

• Monitoring (Reg 10)

• when failure /deterioration of the control measures could result in a
serious health effect,
• to be sure that a WEL is not exceeded
• as an additional check on the effectiveness of any control measure
• always in the case of the substances or processes specified in Schedule 5;
• when any change occurs in the conditions affecting employees’ exposure
which could mean that adequate control of exposure is no longer being
maintained,
• Where risk assessment determines it to be necessary
Measuring Exposure
Snatch sample only not
suitable for personal
monitoring

Biological monitoring useful as it

measures exposure by all routes
e.g. isocyanates, Chrome VI,
Butanone, DCM
(HSG167/EH40)
 know your limits!
WEL’s
STEL
Introduced 2004

Compound ppm mg/m3 ppm mg/m3

Styrene 100 430 250 1080

 Styrene
• Ototoxic
• At 87 - 139 ppm
vestibule-ocular GESTIS
motor system
disorders can occur
and also colour vision
dysfunction with the
latter being
reversible several
weeks after the end
of exposure.
 Health Surveillance Reg 11
Where:-
a) the employee is exposed to one of the substances or processes specified in COSHH
Schedule 6 and there is a reasonable likelihood that an identifiable disease or adverse
health effect will result from that exposure; or
(b) the exposure is such that –
• an identifiable disease or adverse health effect,
• reasonable likelihood that the disease or effect may occur
AND
• there are valid techniques for detecting indications of the disease or effect
• And the technique is of low risk to employee

Examples
• Blood/urine samples- Biological Monitoring
• Spirometry
• Skin surveys
• Audiometry
 Health Surveillance
• Skin surveys : skin sensitisers and irritants
• Lung Function: Asthmagens,
• Nasal Checks: Chrome VI electro plating
• Colour Vison : Styrene (if good control is not
in place)
• Audiometry – Ototoxic agents
• X-ray- RSC, Compressed air environments