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CoSHH

Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2012 3:06 pm
by kngc
Which is a legal requirement to have available on site ../.

CoSHH Assessments or Materiel Safety Data Sheets

My belief is Assessments and not MSDS but I need this confirmed or corrected

Cheers .salut

Re: CoSHH

Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2012 5:41 pm
by ddlh
Short answer is both.
One is task specific - the other is a legal requirement on the supplier to give you information on storage, fire fighting etc.

Dave

Re: CoSHH

Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2012 9:05 pm
by Jack Kane
There is no legal requirement to have either on site.

There is a legal requirement to assess the health and safety risks of hazardous work and to record the assessment if there are 5 or more employees. You need to record the significant findings and who might be at risk and communicate those findings in proportion to the risks.

The suppliers of dangerous chemicals must provide an up to date safety data sheet so the end user can make an appropriate assessment.

Sorry for being pedantic :oops:

Re: CoSHH

Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 12:48 am
by Ian Rienewerf
The MSDS sheets need to be available
They can be available via the internet, or electronically stored on a remote server.
They don't need to be onsite.

And it's communication of the results of the risk assessment which is a legal requirement.
No-one needs to see the actual risk assesment, they just need to know about the results if significant.

If this was an exam question - I would go for MSDS as a definite.
and coshh, only if the findings were significant.

Re: CoSHH

Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 7:27 am
by Jack Kane
If this was an exam question I would be making sure I explained that it's only the information that needs to be available, not the MSDS itself.

The MSDS must be supplied by the supplier of the hazardous chemicals, that's the legal requirement.

Re: CoSHH

Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 4:57 pm
by ddlh
Jack said "There is a legal requirement to assess the health and safety risks of hazardous work and to record the assessment if there are 5 or more employees. You need to record the significant findings and who might be at risk and communicate those findings in proportion to the risks.

The suppliers of dangerous chemicals must provide an up to date safety data sheet so the end user can make an appropriate assessment"

So how can you prove compliance without having copies on site?

Dave

Re: CoSHH

Posted: Sat Jul 28, 2012 8:54 pm
by acko 338
What I would be asking to see if inspecting a site with COSHH related materials are signed training sheets for the employees who are handling or using the materials to ensure that COSHH training has taken place and been recorded properly.

Re: CoSHH

Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2012 9:58 am
by Ian Rienewerf
ddlh wrote:"so the end user can make an appropriate assessment" Dave
Hi Dave
The regs must mean that the end users competent person will be doing the coshh assessment.
Not the actual end user.
At first I thought you meant that all of the front line staff would have a full set of MSDS sheets, and a coshh file each.

Anyway - to answer the question, Jacks reply (the 2nd post) is still correct - neither are required.
The MSDS needs to be available (not onsite, just available)
The significant findings of the risk assessment need to be communicated (not the full risk report - just the findings)

The SSOW should be able to prove compliance that a suitable and sufficient risk assessment has been completed and communicated.
Holding lots of stuff onsite makes the verification easier - but it isn't a legal requirement.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2002 ... 677_en.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
page 10 and 11
12.—(2) Without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (1), the information, instruction and training provided under that paragraph shall include—
(a) details of the substances hazardous to health to which the employee is liable to be exposed including—
- (i) the names of those substances and the risk....
- (iii) access to any relevant safety data sheet, and
(b) the significant findings of the risk assessment;
(c) the appropriate precautions and actions .....