COSHH ASSESSMENT

TRAINING
Essential Elements of a COSHH Form
 Introduction

• This presentation will explain how to undertake a COSHH

Assessment using the standard University COSHH Assessment
Form
• Clicking the left mouse button will move you to the next slide
• At the end of this presentation you will find details on where
to go for further information and supporting documents
 Personnel Affected
You must consider everyone
who could be affected (eg other
laboratory workers, visitors,
cleaning and security staff).
You must also consider
potentially vulnerable people
such as expectant mothers.
Academic / Supervisor Responsible
The member of Academic staff or
Senior Technician in charge of the
work MUST check the COSHH
Assessment to ensure it is suitable.
Their name must appear here on the
Form and they must sign the Form.

Procedure Title
This should be a short description
of the work undertaken eg
Preparation of 5M Sodium
Hydroxide Solution.
List Hazardous Chemicals Used
A sensible approach is to include all
Quantity
the Usedchemicals
hazardous and Concentration
used in a
Note the amount
procedure on the sameof theForm.
chemical
This
useddown
cuts and its concentration
paperwork eg 100ml
and also
of 3M hydrochloric
encourages acid.about
you to think This ishow
importantcould
chemicals in deciding sensible
interact.
control measures
REMEMBER eg youAssessment
the COSHH may safely
isuse 100mltoofthe
specific 3Mprocedure
hydrochloric acid
outside of aNOT
undertaken fume thehood BUT NOT
chemical.
2.5litres of concentrated acid.
For example, you may use
Quantity Handled
hydrochloric acid in this procedure.
This is theif container
However, you were size of the
to use
chemical youacid
hydrochloric areinhandling
anothereg you
may need atonew
procedure takeCOSHH
a 2.5litre
Formbottle of
would
beacid from the
needed. stores
This to remove
is because a
the acid
100ml
may be for
usedyour experiment.
differently It is
and possibly
important
used to note
with other this on the
chemicals Form
so the
as this isare
hazards thedifferent.
largest amount of the
chemical you could spill etc.
Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs)
WELs are legal, maximum airborne
concentrations of chemicals and
dusts
Always that mustBefore
Check not beStarting
exceeded.
You
• If acan
lessfind out if a chemical
hazardous substancehas
cana
WEL
be by looking
used eg useataEH40
toxic .chemical in
liquid rather than powder form or
Hazards
a less toxic chemical that does the
List the hazards
same job. with each chemical
and potential
• If the chemicalroutes
is a of entry into
known
the body eg toxic
carcinogen by inhalation.
/ mutagen / teratogen.
Further information on identifying
Exposure to such chemicals MUST
chemicals
be kept ashazards
low ascan be found
possible. In on
the HSS Website.
addition, mutagens and teratogens
pose a significant risk to expectant
mothers so you MUST consider
how such people will be informed
Experimental Procedure
of the risk and protected.
Provide enough details to allow
another person to be able to repeat
the experiment.
Controls
As a first resort try to use engineering
controls eg Fume Hoods, Glove Boxes
or local exhaust ventilation systems to
control hazards, as they not only
protect you but also others and don’t
Personal
rely Protective
on personal Equipment
factors (PPE)
such as gloves
Should
fitting only be used
properly. as ainformation
Further last resort as
on
it only protects
control measuresthe canwearer
be foundandonrelies
the
on the
HSS correct selection and fit to
Website.
work properly and it is easy to get
wrong. Further
Procedural information
controls may alsoon be useful
selection
eg of PPE
restricting the can
use be foundchemicals
of toxic on the
HSS
to Website.
clearly marked lab areas or carrying
out operations in a particular way [eg
adding acid to water when diluting
concentrated acids].
Monitoring
• Reaction Temperature – may be
needed where you need to
control exothermic reactions.
• Reaction Time – may be needed
if hazards are created if the
reaction goes on too long.
• Integrity of PPE – it is important
to check PPE regularly to ensure
it provides continued protection
eg torn gloves allowing the
chemical to get to the skin.
• Fume Hood Operation – it is
important to check the hood is
working properly, particularly if
the experiment is lengthy or the
chemical is extremely hazardous.

First Aid
Record first aid actions here.
Spillage
Fire and Explosion
•Always
Large Scale
check–ifthe result
there is a of spilling
risk of fire,
athe
riskmaximum quantity
of explosion handled
or both. If there
isinanthe experiment
explosion eg the
risk you 2.5litre
MUST
bottle of
contact concentrated
your acid.
College / Departmental
•Safety
SmallCo-ordinator.
Scale – the result of spilling
the amount used in the
experiment.
Measures to control the risk of fire
could include using smaller amounts
You MUST detail
of flammable exactly how
chemicals and you
would deal
ensuring therewith
areeach type of of
no sources
spill. Guidance
ignition present. on Emergency
Spill Procedures can be found on
the HSS
When Website.
detailing actions in case of
fire consider the safety of people
first. Only attempt to tackle a fire if
the correct fire extinguishers are
present, your means of escape are
clear and the fire is small with no
risk of spreading.
At the End of the Experiment
• Materials Saved for Future Use – if
the experiment produces solutions
etc that will be used / stored for
future use you MUST explain how
these may be stored safely, how
hazardous they are and how they
should be labelled. For example, a
5% solution of ethanol is not
flammable6M and may be
Sulphuric stored on an
Acid
open bench, butSB a 50% solution of
ethanol is flammable
28/10/08 and must be
stored in fire safety cabinet.
• Disposal – if the experiment
produces waste you must explain
how the waste is to be disposed of
and where it should be stored until
disposal. Guidance on the storage
and safe disposal of waste is available
on the HSS Website.