COSHH regulations and latest guidance

COSHH is the law that requires employers to control substances that are hazardous to health.  In practice that means that employers must

• Carry out a risk assesment
• Provide Local Exhaust Ventillation (LEV)
• Have the LEV system tested annually
• Ensure that the LEV system is operating effectively at all times.

Risk Assessments

COSHH Regulation 6 states that an employer shall not carry out any work which is liable to expose any employess to any substance hazardous to health unless he has carried out a risk assessment and taken steps to adequately control the exposure.

In practice, the employer should first try and take steps to stop using the harmful substance if this is possible e.g. by substituting it with a less harmful substance.  If this is not possible then the process should be examined to see it it can be changed to stop the harmful substance being emitted.  If the process cannot be changed then Local Exhaust Ventillation should be installed to remove the harmful substance at source

For further information on risk assessments please visit the Health and Safety Executive's website pages on the COSHH regulations.

Local Exhaust Ventillation

Where, followng a risk assessment, it is not possible to change the process, or use a less harmful substance, Local Exhaust Ventillation (LEV) should be used.  LEV is an 'engineering control' that removes harmful dust or fume at source i.e. at the point it is created and before it can enter the operator's breathing zone.  LEV is different from general ventillation which merely dilutes the concentration of harmful substances in the air.

The use, maintenance and testing of LEV systems is governed by the COSHH regulations 8 and 9 which state that:

• Where LEV is supplied by an employer, every employee shall make full and proper use of it
• Where an employee discovers a defect in an LEV system they have a duty to report it
• All LEV systems must be maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order, in good repair and in a clean condition.
• All LEV systems must be thoroughly examined and tested, at least every 14 months (in practice annually).

For further information on LEV testing or maintenance of LEV systems please click on the links or select from the menu on the left.

Latest Guidance

In May 2008 the Health and Safety Executive published new guidance on local exhaust ventillation.  HSG 258: Controlling Airborne Contaminants at work (a guide to local exhaust ventilation) is a comprehensive guide to Local Exhaust Ventillation for suppliers, managers and health and safety representatives.  In addition useful leaflets for Employers and Employees are available.  These publications can be downloaded from the Health and Safety Executive's website by following the links below:

HSG 258 Controlling Airborne Contaminants

Clearing the Air: A simple guide to buying and using LEV

Time to Clear the Air:  A workers pocket guide to LEV