Health and Safety for the Land based Industries
Session 2
This resource is suitable to support Level 2 Agriculture courses.
What is COSHH?
- COSHH means 'Control of Substances Hazardous to Health'.
- It is a set of regulations put in place to protect workers from the dangers of the hazardous substances that they may use in the course of their work.
- Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (2002)
What sort of substances are hazardous?
Substances that are ‘hazardous to health’ include substances labelled as dangerous (i.e. very toxic, toxic, harmful, irritant or corrosive) under other statutory requirements, agricultural pesticides and other chemicals used on farms and substances with occupational exposure limits.
Do farmers need to comply with COSHH Regulations?
YES! Farmers, growers and those involved in the agricultural industry are constantly using substances, which, if not correctly used, can cause ill health not only to themselves but also to the general public.
The COSHH regulations apply whether you are an employer, an employee or self-employed.
It is a legal requirement for employers and the self-employed to comply with COSHH Regulations and conduct a COSHH risk assessment.
What are the responsibilities of the Employer?
Employers must ensure that the health of their workforce and that of the general public (as well as their own) is not put at risk as a result of their work activity. This includes casual workers, part-time workers and anyone visiting the premises.
Employers need to inform their employees of the hazards, risks and control measures associated with their work.
What are the responsibilities of the Employee?
If you are an employee, it is your responsibility to use correct procedures for dealing with any substances, which are covered by the COSHH regulations that you use in the course of your work. You are also responsible for reporting any problems associated with such procedures eg. If control measures are defective, or if protective equipment is damaged and ineffective.
If you are not correctly trained for undertaking a task involving hazardous substances, then you must refuse to carry out the operation.
What if you are not familiar with the chemicals?
If you are not correctly trained for undertaking a task involving hazardous substances, then you must refuse to carry out the operation.
What can happen if you are exposed to dangerous substances?
Exposure to hazardous substances can lead to illnesses including cancers, asthma and dermatitis.
How can you become exposed?
Exposure can be through:
- Breathing
- Skin contact.
- Ingesting, either directly, or following contamination of fingers or clothing.
- Though splashes to the eyes.
- Through accidental spillage, leakage or discharge.
What is a COSHH assessment?
The COSHH assessment is the identification of hazardous substances and the action that needs to be taken to control any risks to health and safety.
NB When identifying the hazardous substance it is important to be specific when naming the substance being used e.g.
- Formalin
- Iodine udder dip
- Sheep dip
- Pesticides
What are the steps in a COSHH assessment?
The 4 steps.
| Identify the substances used or produced in the workplace. Assess how much is used and in what form. | IDENTIFY |
| Assess the risk to health from work activities that involve a hazardous substance | ASSESS |
| Decide on the action to be taken to reduce risk. Prevent, or where this is not reasonably practicable, adequately control exposure to hazardous substances | REDUCE RISK |
| Introduce and put into practice the action plan. | ACTION PLAN |
Step 1 of a COSHH assessment
IDENTIFY THE SUBSTANCES USED OR PRODUCED IN THE WORKPLACE.
There are many hazardous substances, used by the agricultural industry. Examples:
- Pesticides: Insecticides; Fungicides; Rodent poisons
- Veterinary medicines: Antibiotics
Dangerous substances
- Dusts: Mouldy hay; Processing cereals; Cultivations
- Fumes: Welding; Chemical use
- Gases: Exhaust; Sealed storage – slurry and grain silos
- Acids: Hypochlorite; Formalin; Batteries
- Alkalis: Caustic soda
Other dangerous substances
- Chemicals and detergents: Dairy chemicals; Spraying; Anthelmintics
- Zoonoses: Leptospirosis; Salmonella; Brucellosis; Orf; Ringworm
- Other Disease organisms: Tetanus; Weils Disease
- Fuels, Oils and Grease: Diesel oil; Waste oil
- Other substances: Wood preservatives; Paints; Fertilizers; Slurry; Tippex!
How would you know a substance is dangerous?
Labelling of substances
Suppliers of hazardous substances, under the Law, have to provide information to users in the form of safety data sheets and proper labelling with hazard symbols.
It is important that anyone using hazardous substances read the Product Safety Data Sheets carefully before using the substance.
Step 2 of a COSHH assessment
Assessing the Risk
The person producing the COSHH assessment will need to observe the product being used in order to correctly assess any risks associated with its use.
What will the assessor do?
The assessor will:
Identify who will be using the substance, what concentration will be used, and for what length of time will it be used.
Decide how the person will be affected by working with the substance. What are the possible routes of exposure – by splashes into eyes, absorption by skin, breathing in or by accidentally swallowing?
Check to see if any direct contact with the product causes ill health, by reading the product safety data sheet.
What if someone is ill after using substances on a farm?
The employer should carry out appropriate health surveillance.
This means keeping records of employees’ health problems or sickness absences, to check if illnesses are linked to any work activity.
Step 3 of a COSHH assessment
Deciding on the control measures to minimize risk or how to get rid of the danger:
- Once a risk has been determined, an action plan for minimising the effect of that risk must be made.
- Precautions or controls must be put in place.
Questions to be asked by the employer and the employee:
- Can you avoid using that particular substance?
- Can an alternative product be used which is less of a risk to health and safety?
- What other controls can be put in place?
What sort of control measures could be implemented?
Control measures could include:
Use of specialist equipment e.g. ventilation or extraction equipment to reduce fumes and dust – called ‘engineering controls’.
Controls on the way the product is used by giving:
- Training people who will be using the substances
- Erecting warning notices
- Excluding other personnel from the operation area.
As a last resort, Personal Protective Equipment should be use, but PPE are not a substitute for basic control measures; they should be the ‘last line of defence’.
Step 4 of a COSHH assessment
Implementing the control measures
The person who conducts the COSHH assessment must write his/her finding, with control measures detailed.
This must be kept as a working document that can be continually updated when new products are purchased.
What about staff training?
There should be a training programme for staff ensuring that all of the workforce:
- Understand the risks to health from using hazardous substances
- Are aware of precautions that should be taken when using hazardous substances.
- COSHH assessments should be made available to staff for reference.
Staff using sheep dip or those involved with spraying should have the necessary formal training and qualifications.
COSHH Assessment forms
The following slide shows an example of a form that could be used when carrying out a COSHH risk assessment. This form is a simple document, which would be suitable for the self-employed.
Workers should keep these documents in an easily accessible place. They should be used as a reference, to ensure staff fully understand the hazards, risks and control measures involved with the substances they use.
Example of COSHH form
Recap of session
CONTROL OF SUBSTANCES HAZARDOUS TO HEALTH REGULATIONS 2002 (C.O.S.H.H.)
Employers have to comply with COSHH regulations by controlling exposure to hazardous substances and preventing the ill health of their employees and others.
It is important that everybody using substances are able to identify the special labels and packages which warn and protect the user, transporters, emergency services and the general public.
Check your learning
CONTROL OF SUBSTANCES HAZARDOUS TO HEALTH REGULATIONS 2002 (C.O.S.H.H.)
1. Draw the correct symbol for each of the following types of substance:
- Harmful Irritant
- Corrosive
- Flammable
- Radio Active
- Explosive
- Oxidising (supports fire)
- Toxic
Check your learning
a. Look around your own workplace and find 3 other examples of hazardous substances that you use.
b. Collect the Product Safety Data Sheets for each of your chosen examples. If these are not found with the packaging, obtain them online or from the supplier.
c. For the 3 examples chosen, compare the information given on the Product Safety Data Sheets using the following headings:
- Hazards
- Fire fighting
- PPE requirements
- First Aid