Assessment of Health Risks

Where workers might potentially be exposed to hazardous substances through the course of their work, it will be necessary to assess that potential to ensure that harm dose not occur. In great Britain, this is a requirement of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH)

The steps to carrying out a hazardous substance risk assessment are:

• Identify the hazardous present and the people who might potentially be exposed.

• Gather information about the substances.

• Evaluate the health risk.

• Identify and controls needed and implement them.

• Record the assessment and action taken.

• Review.

  When identifying the hazardous substances present in the workplace, remember that they can be created by work processes. For Example, welding metal creates a metal fume; mixing bleach and acid together can create chlorine gas. These hazardous substances (the meta fume and the chlorine gas) do not come pre-packaged and labelled, but are created by the work process.

Information can be collected about hazardous substances by referring to various sources (see later). This information then has to used to evaluate the health risks associated with the actual work practices.

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Factors consider when carrying out an assessment of hazardous substance exposure.

> Hazardous nature of the substance present - is it toxic, corrosive, carcinogenic, etc.

>potential ill-health effects- will the substance cause minor ill health or very serious disease,
these result from short- term or long - term exposure?

>Physical forms that the substance takes in the workplace- is it a solid, liquid, vapour, dust, fume etc

>Frequency of exposure - will people be exposed once a week, once a day pr continuously?

>Duration of exposure will exposure be very brief, last for several hours or last all day?

>Control measures that are already in place such as ventilation system and personal protective equipment (PPE)

All these factors have to be taken into account when undertaking the assessment, then the adequacy of any existing control measures can be decided, and additional controls and precautions selected.

Thanks you.