Malcolm Gardner, Grounds Manager at BA Clubs, suggests that, when conducting risk assessments, it can be easy to get bogged down with the idea that things are set to make life more difficult than they really are. However, the tasks we set ourselves in life are often only as difficult as we make them, and COSHH
assessments are no different
Under the COSHH?
W
hen people discuss the completion of risk
assessments, whether they are activity or chemical based, it is the perceived
mountain of paperwork that usually stops people in their tracks. But that need not be the case. If you were completing a build project of a new 3G football pitch, I would expect that most of you would not be throwing your arms in the air and claiming that the world is against you. But, like it or not, paperwork is part and parcel of what both managers and individuals have to complete. In this article, I will set out some of the ideas and methods that I have worked to in the past, and hope that they will take some of the pain out of what some percieve as a chore. First and foremost, don’t feel that you have to be chained to the desk for days on end completing the paperwork until you have an assessment for every single substance that you have and use in your working environment. It is your ultimate goal, for sure, but a measured approach will soon see you through the task and, in time, you will have built your library of assessments succesfully without the pain. This also has a good side effect,
assuming that you have chosen to review your assessments either every 12 months or 24 months, they will not come up for review all at once. Secondly, get help. If you have a large team, involve others in your assessments. In such cases you could turn the task over to an assessment team, but remain as the assessment supervising officer. It gets other people involved and interested in the provision of safe working environments. Thirdly, work to a system. The purpose of a COSHH assessment is to identify substances and activities where there may be exposure to a hazardous substance, whether used or generated, that could damage health. Where there is an identified risk, action must be taken to eliminate exposure or, at least, reduce it to acceptable levels, for example controlling and limiting the exposure to dust and fumes, ensuring they fall below the occupational exposure limits laid out in the ‘Manufacturer’s Safety Data Sheet’. In the situation of turf management, a COSHH assessment will generally come in the form of an activity based assessment and often arises from spraying activities. Do not forget though, any of the other activities associated
with the use of substances - cleaning equipment with solvents, filling mowers with petrol, using correction fluid in the office etc.
• Gather information • Assess the information
• Make informed decisions to reduce risks to health and the environment Gathering Information
Complete a product inventory and, for each product, look at obtaining a Manufacturer’s Safety Data Sheet. Manufacturers have to supply these by law and they will have a good deal of information on them that will help you to make your assessment. Keep them on file where they can be easily accessed.
Assessing the Information
This now becomes the most important part of the assessment. With all the information to hand you could make your assessment subjectively or it could be calculated. Whichever way you do it, you will need to ensure that you have assessed the pertinent factors involved, and show some written evidence of how
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132