COVID: No excuse to forget about your compliance

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed almost every aspect of our lives, including the way processes and operations are conducted within the workplace. However, it is just as important as ever to protect the long-term health of your employees.

As an employee you have a legal duty to comply with the Health and Safetyat Work etc. Act 1974, Section 2.

Hazards in the workplace still remain and you must control worker exposure to harmful substances such as gases and dusts and processes that generate noise or vibration.

ADVICE FOR EMPLOYERS 

To prevent exposure to your workers you should:

1. Assess the risks
2. Control the risks – are your controls adequate and do you have written evidence?
3. Provide instruction and training to staff so they understand why control measures are important.
4. Monitor and record – you need to be able to provide written evidence to show that your control measures are working.

Our Occupational Hygienists can measure and assess exposures in your workplace to ensure you comply with the law.

WE CAN SUPPORT YOU WITH:

COSHH ASSESSMENTS
A COSHH assessment concentrates on the hazards and risks from hazardous substances in your workplace.Employers have a legal duty to assess the risk to health and to be aware of what contaminants (such as wood or flour dust) employees are exposed to and in what quantities.

Is your assessment up to date?

EXPOSURE MONITORING
Exposure monitoring is a way of measuring the extent of e.g. dust or noise levels during a specific task.It provides assurance on the quality of your control measures and offers peace of mind that you are protecting your workers health.

Importantly, you need to be able to provide written evidence to show that your control measures are working and are effective in reducing exposure. 

HAV ASSESSMENTS
Jobs that use powered hand tools for a significant length of time are at a higher risk of exposure and ill-health problems such as hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS), including white finger, carpal tunnel syndrome and muscoskeletal issues. 

HAVS is preventable, but once the damage is done it is permanent!

Our consultants can help you identify whether there is likely to be a significant risk from hand-arm or whole-body vibration in your workplace by carrying out a vibration risk assessment.

LEV ASSESSMENTS

When maintained correctly, LEV systems can protect worker health by controlling exposure to hazardous substances in the workplace. However, many employers experience problems when local exhaust ventilation (LEV) systems are incorrectly installed or not maintained on a regular basis.

An LEV system must be examined and tested at least once every 14 months and test results must be kept for a minimum of five years.

For advice call Manchester 0161 872 7111 London 0203 384 6175 or email [email protected]