The Health & Safety Executive has revised its Brief Guide to the COSHH Regulations 1999 leaflet. It is produced for employers and aims to help them meet their specific duties under COSHH in adequately controlling hazardous substances to prevent employees and others from becoming ill. The leaflet outlines:
- Examples of hazardous substances – substances used directly in work activities, such as adhesives, substances generated from work activities, such as fumes, and naturally occurring substances, such as grain dust
- Where hazardous substances are found, such as factories, shops, mines, farms, offices
- Examples of the effects of hazardous substances – skin irritation, asthma, loss of consciousness after being overcome by fumes, cancer or infection from biological agents
- The requirements under COSHH 1999 – the seven steps to risk assessment
- The definition of a substance hazardous to health under COSHH – substances or mixtures classified as dangerous to health under the CHIP Regulations as amended 1994, substances with OELs, biological agents, a specified concentration of dust and any other substance that has comparable hazards to people's health
- Those substances not included under COSHH as hazardous to health – that is, substances covered by other regulations, such as asbestos, lead, radioactive substances and biological agents that are not directly connected with work.
Copies are available, free, from HSE Books, tel: 01787 881165
Duty of care
This DETR leaflet provides straightforward guidance on waste and the duty of care. It addresses a number of questions, such as:
- What does the duty of care mean?
- Who does it affect?
- What is controlled waste?
- What about household waste?
- Are there any exceptions?
- What do I do?
Railway safety
The Health & Safety Executive has published the annual Railway Safety Report 1999/2000. In addition to reporting the number of incidents, fatalities and injuries in the year, it also describes the activities of the Railway Inspectorate and looks at developments on the railways.
The report contains a comprehensive review of railway safety, including a month-by-month summary of the significant events and incidents – 1999 will be remembered for the tragic incident at Ladbroke Grove. This report was compiled before the Hatfield derailment in October 2000, so it will be included in the next report.
The report demonstrates that although some trends in railway safety are moving in the right direction, last year's derailment at Hatfield proves there's still a lot more work to be done.
Copies are available from HSE Books, tel: 01787 881165, priced £18
Environmental management systems
Greenleaf Publishing has produced this book as an aid to those struggling to deal with the issues of implementing the ISO 14001 environmental management system.
Copies are available from The Stationery Office, tel: 0870 6005522, priced £19.99
Source
The Facilities Business
