Report on safety regulations and COSHH.

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REPORT ON SAFETY REGULATIONS AND COSHH

Introduction

COSHH stands for `Control of Substances Hazardous to Health. This was introduced in 1988. It was necessary to introduce the Health and Safety at Work Act because people had no protection of hazards at work. People had no protection of hazards at work. People had to work and accept that hazardous risks were part of the job. People got illnesses such as pneumoconiosis, which is exposure to coal dust (miners). Farm workers were infected by microorganisms from hay and straw known as farmer’s lung. Workers in the days before COSHH was introduced didn’t even know that the workplace could harm them, unaware that there were risks. The Health and Safety at Work Act was introduced in 1974. COSHH regulations were necessary in the workplace because harm that could be done to people by physical hazards was not covered in the Work Act 1974 and so this was extended by the COSHH introducing it to schools, labs, factories, workshops, garages and any place where any potentially hazardous chemicals are used. The management is ultimately responsible for ensuring that COSHH regulations are in place and complied with.

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Hazards and Risks

Hazard is anything with the potential to cause harm i.e. highly flammable, corrosive, irritant/harmful.

Risk is the likelihood that someone will be harmed by the hazard and the severity of the harm caused i.e. high risk, medium risk or low risk. Risk varies according to the procedure i.e. how you are using a hazardous substance. COSHH regulations is related to this is that a method must be done, so you know how to use the substances i.e. use of ethanol in a practical is highly flammable and reacting ethanol with potassium metal will be explosive, ...

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