The health and safety of your staff and customers is incredibly important, and you need to be able to maintain a safe environment, especially when it comes to hazardous substances.
Whilst you may use regular household cleaning products in your workplace, you have to understand that they can be dangerous if not managed correctly.
In the UK, the management of chemicals is called COSHH (the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health), and it relates to how you handle and store such substances.
COSHH is a regulation from the UK government that means businesses have to control substances that can be hazardous to health. The aim of COSSH is to reduce the risk of staff exposure to these substances, and therefore prevent injury or illness. COSHH covers all types of dangerous substances, not just in a lab.
Any substance that can be hazardous to someone’s health is included:
Even your standard high street cleaning products like Flash or Mr Sheen can be harmful to your health if used incorrectly.
Paint often contains solvents and other chemicals that are potentially harmful.
If you use any kind of gases, from carbon dioxide to nitrous oxide, these are covered under COSHH regulations.
Any kind of fumes or dust that is expelled from your day-to-day activities is regulated under COSHH.
As an employer, you should follow and outline a set of rules when it comes to handling hazardous substances:
COSHH is an important part of workplace health and safety. By ensuring you implement COSHH correctly, you can protect your employees and customers from being harmed by hazardous substances.
At Atkins Gregory, we are experts in cleaning and have vast knowledge on how to correctly store and use potentially hazardous substances, including cleaning products. If you’re looking for help managing your cleaning services to reduce exposure to staff, get in touch.
