Who Enforces COSHH Legislation?

The term COSHH stands for ‘Control of Substances Hazardous to Health’, and it is the law that requires employers to control these hazardous substances in the workplace. Under these regulations employers are required to either prevent, reduce or at the very least, control exposure to hazardous substances in order to prevent ill health to their workers by putting safety measures in place such as using COSHH cabinets to store hazardous materials…but who exactly is responsible for enforcing these regulations?

COSHH Overview

COSHH, being the law that requires employers to control substances that are hazardous to health, requires employers to take the following precautions and measures to prevent or reduce workers exposure to hazardous substances by:

• finding out what the health hazards are;
• deciding how to prevent harm to health (risk assessment);
• providing control measures to reduce harm to health and making sure they are used
• making sure to keep all control measures in good working order.
• providing information, instruction and training for employees and others; and providing monitoring and health surveillance in the appropriate cases.
• planning for emergencies.

In terms of who is actually responsible for enforcing COSHH; it is the responsibility of the Health and Safety Executive, or HSE; a public body set up under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The HSE is responsible for enforcing and regulating health, safety and welfare in workplaces, which includes the COSHH legislations as a part of this.

When dealing with substances and materials regulated by COSHH, it is vital to make sure that you have the right equipment to deal with and manage these substances, such as using a COSHH Cabinet to store them. These flammable storage cabinets are especially designed for the safe storage of hazardous substances; for more information, you can view our range of COSHH Cabinets here today.