Control of substances hazardous to health (COSHH) regulations

Anyone performing a procedure using any potentially hazardous substance (liquids, powders, gases, solids etc.) in the Department is required by law to perform a formal assessment of risk following the Department´s own COSHH procedures.

The laboratory use of all chemicals must be accompanied by a risk assessment in the form of a COSHH form. The COSHH form will include details of any hazards associated with a procedure, as well as what to do in an emergency. You must complete your own COSHH form for each procedure that you are involved with. This means that if you are using the same chemical for two different procedures, two different COSHH forms are necessary. The important point to be aware of when completing a COSHH form is that it is a risk assessment. Most substances used in physics are in small quantities and so the associated risk is likely to be small. However, material safety data sheets (MSDS) contain hazards that may not be applicable to each procedure. For example, if a particular MSDS require the use of a safety shower in the event of contamination you will not be able to order the material (we do not have a safety shower). However, if you are using only 1mg of this material, then a safety shower may not be necessary, as washing under a tap may be sufficient. Therefore it should be clear that merely reproducing the contents of the MSDS is inadequate; the user must assess the applicability of the data sheet to their own particular procedure.

Two COSHH forms must be completed, one will be kept by the chemical safety officer, and the other by the person carrying out the procedure. The most recent COSHH forms contain an expiry date. If the procedure must be carried out beyond this date, then a new risk assessment should be carried out. This will be useful for ensuring that the user is applying the most up-to-date safety information. (In the interests of avoiding a paper mountain, the chemical safety officer is likely to dispose of outdated COSHH forms.)

No procedure must be left unattended without warning other people. If you leave chemicals on a lab bench or in a fume cupboard, they must be correctly and clearly marked. Users must have their name and contact details readily available, and there should be warning information clearly available. It is possible to leave a COSHH form for this purpose but it must be remembered that a COSHH form will not necessarily be the clearest means to label a potential hazard.

Before obtaining any substance potentially hazardous to health (either by purchasing or other means), you should consult Mark Geoghegan (room D19, phone 23544) or Steve Collins (room E30, phone 23511) to ascertain whether or not the Department has the facilities to enable you to use the substance safely.

If there is any change in the procedure, or in the materials used, or in the amounts used, a new assessment must be made before the change is implemented.

Supervisors of visitors, researchers, and/or students are responsible for ensuring that those in their care are familiar with any relevant assessments.

Everyone concerned must ensure that procedures prescribed on COSHH assessment forms are followed. If you notice that such procedures are not being followed or that substances are in use without a COSHH assessment having been performed for that particular activity, it is your duty to inform the relevant supervisor or the Departmental Safety Officer (Alan Bateman, room E24A, phone 24576).

Detailed information is held in the Department about potentially dangerous substances, how to complete the appropriate forms, and the procedures to be followed. For further details see either the Departmental Safety Officer (Mark Fox) or Mark Geoghegan.