1. Safe Use of Hazardous Substances at Work
Training Pack
(For all staff who work with hazardous substances or who supervise staff that work with hazardous substances)
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3. Introduction
This training pack is for use by staff who work with hazardous substances in The Council and people who supervise staff that work with substances.
You need to keep this training pack as it has health and safety information you need for your job.
If you are having difficulty with this pack, approach your supervisor or manager for help or call the Safety Team.
This symbol in the top right corner of the page means you need to find something out and write it in the space provided.
This symbol means that the page contains example answers

4. Training Pack Objectives
In this training pack you will learn about hazardous substances and
Find out where to get the information you need to keep well at work.
This training pack will give you the following information:-
What COSHH is
People’s responsibilities for hazardous substances
What hazardous substances are and what they can do to you
Why substances need to be assessed
The different hazard warning symbols and what they mean
What you can do to reduce the risks from substances

5. COSHH COSHH stands for the Control Of Substances Hazardous to Health
The Aim of COSHH
The law aims to protect you from becoming
ill or injured by using or being exposed to
substances at work.
A hazardous substance is something that
could injure you or make you ill when you
come into contact with it. For example
cleaning substances, bodily fluids, wood
dust etc.

6. Managers Duties for Substance Safety
By Law your manager has a duty to:-
look at the risks to your health and the health of other people from using substances at work
make working with substances as safe as possible
monitor your health when using substances
give you information, instruction, supervision and training on the safe use of substances at work

7. Your Duties for Substance Safety
By Law you, as an employee, have a duty to:-
Co-operate with your manager when using hazardous substances at work
Where required use your protective clothing or equipment (eg rubber gloves) and take care of it
Report any faults with your protective clothing or equipment to your supervisor
Attend for medical examinations if you are asked to (eg a visit to see the Occupational Health nurse about a skin reaction)

8. Hazardous Substances
Hazardous substances are not just cleaning chemicals. They can
come in any of these three forms:-
Chemical substances eg oven cleaner
Physical substances eg wood dust
Biological hazards eg Hepatitis B
You need to make sure that if you find any
of these where you work, you inform your
manager. They can then look at what the
substances can do to you, how they are used and what
needs to be done to make it safer to work with them.

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10. How Does a Substance Get Into Your Body?
Some substances can get onto and into your body
and cause damage by:-
Breathing them in through your nose or mouth
Swallowing them through your mouth into your stomach
Absorbing through coming into contact with your skin or eyes
Entry through breaks in your skin (cuts & abrasions)
Some substances can injure you straight away,
eg irritated eyes if you splash bleach into them.
For other substances it takes repeated exposures
before you see anything, eg dermatitis on your
hands that happens over a long time.

11. What Harm or Injuries Can Substances Cause?
Think about all of the gruesome things that hazardous substances can do to your body if they get into or onto you (eg irritate skin). Make a list below:-
__________________________________________________________
(See overleaf for some examples)

12. What Harm or Injuries Can Hazardous Substances Cause?
One Exposure:
Irritation of skin or eyes
Swelling of skin or puffiness of eyes
Itching of skin or eyes
Breathlessness
Headaches
Eyes Watering
Feeling Faint
Sickness
Diarrhoea
Stomach Cramps
Coughing
Wheezing
Sneezing
Lots of Exposures:
Dermatitis
Eczema
Asthma
Allergic reactions
Blindness & eye problems
Brain damage
Internal organ damage (especially kidney & liver)
Lung damage
DEATH!!!
These examples are only a guide. You may find others

13. In What Circumstances Can Accidents Happen?
Think about how you can end up getting a hazardous substance on you or into you and how these accidents might happen (eg splashing). Make a list below:
__________________________________________________________
(See overleaf for some examples)

14. In What Circumstances Can Accidents Happen?
Accidents could be caused by:
Splashing substances about or messing around
Not following the manufacturer’s instructions
Not having or wearing the correct protective clothing
Mixing substances together that should not be mixed eg bleach and other cleaner (see also “safe use of bleach”)
Not taking the correct precautions (eg using a substance in a confined space when label says “use in only in a well ventilated area”).
Using the substance for something you are not supposed to (eg cleaning toilets with oven cleaner).
Not rinsing away detergents properly before using bleach
Incorrect storage or disposal of substances or waste products
Spillages not being cleaned up straight away, causing slips or falls or contact with substance spilled
These examples are only a guide. You may find others

15. Why Should We Assess Hazardous Substances?
All of the substances you use at work need to be looked at:
To identify which ones are hazardous and what they could do to you when you use them
Think about a corrosive oven cleaner spray. It will burn you if you get it on your skin or in your eyes. When you are using it you could breathe in the corrosive spray and do damage to your insides. These are the hazards of using the substance that you need to think about.
To find out how to make working with substances safer. For example do you have to use this particular oven cleaner? Can you stop using it or use something safer instead like a brillo pad or a less hazardous oven cleaner?
To make working with substances safer for everyone
To comply with the Law

16. Hazard Symbols & Warnings
You might come across these common symbols and warnings on some of the substances you use at work:-
HARMFUL CORROSIVE
IRRITANT FLAMMABLE
or HIGHLY FLAMMABLE
or EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE
Harmful
Can make you ill if you breathe it, swallow it, or get it on your skin
Corrosive
Will burn you if it gets on you or inside you
Irritant
Can cause irritation if you get it on your skin or in your eyes
Flammable
Will catch fire if you use it near a naked flame or if you store it in a warm place

17. Hazard Symbols & Warnings
If you come across any of these symbols and warnings on any of the substances at work, tell your manager straight away:
TOXIC DANGEROUS TO
or VERY TOXIC THE ENVIRONMENT
OXIDISING EXPLOSIVE

18. Reducing Risks
If you find that you have a hazardous substance, you need to
look at:
What can you do to make working with it safer and to protect you against any ill effects?
Don’t use the substance - do you really need to do that particular job?
Is there anything else you could use which is safer? Eg if you have a substance marked “IRRITANT”, could you use a substance that does not have this warning instead?
If you can’t do this then:-
You need to use protective clothing or equipment, but don’t rely only on protective clothing. You should always try to find a safer substance first.

19. Example of Reducing Risks
Substance What can it do to you?
Oven cleaner It is a corrosive chemical that will burn you if it gets on your skin
spray or in your eye, if you swallow it or breathe it in
Safest Option
Don’t use it - but this might not be very practical for you to do, unless you buy a
self cleaning oven.
Safer Substance Options
Use Brillo Pads instead - they won’t make you ill or injure you, but you may have to clean your oven a lot more often (safest choice)
Use an Oven Cleaner which is only marked “IRRITANT” instead of “CORROSIVE” - this could irritate your skin or eyes, but not burn you. You may have to clean your oven more often (less safe choice)
Use an Oven Cleaner which is marked “CORROSIVE” but is a wipe on/wipe off liquid or gel rather than a spray - it would be slightly safer than a spray as you would not breathe it in (least safe choice)
It is very important to follow the instructions on the label and use the protective
clothing or equipment they tell you to when using any substance

20. Sources of Hazard Information
These are the places you could get information from about
substances you use at work:
The COSHH Assessment – this will tell you what harm the product could cause, what precautions you should take, how it should be used, what it should be used for and what protective clothing you need to wear
The Manufacturers Safety Data Sheet
The Product Label
The Occupational Safety Team

21. (See overleaf for some examples)
The Label
Look at the labels on some of your substances and write down the different types of information they give you (eg instructions for use):
__________________________________________________________
(See overleaf for some examples)

22. The Label
The types of information you may find on a substance label could include:-
manufacturer’s name and address
what you should use the substance for
what is in it and what it could do to you
symbol(s) and hazard warning(s)
instructions for use
what precautions you should take
what protective clothing to wear when using the substance
what to do if you get it on your skin or in your eyes
how you should store it
how you should dispose of the empty container
whether you need to keep it away from children or pets
environmental information
telephone helpline number
These examples are only a guide. You may find others
If you have a substance without a label on the container - DON’T USE IT!! You don’t
know what is in it or what it could do to you.

23. (if you run out of space here, just add an extra sheet)
Your Substances
Make a list of the main substances What hazard symbols and
you use: warnings does it have?:
______________________________ ______________________________
(if you run out of space here, just add an extra sheet)

24. Your Substances Do any of your substances have warning signs? YES/NO
Which ones?
Can you stop using any of them? YES/NO

25. Your Substances Can you substitute any with safer substances? YES/NO
Which ones?
Are the substances you use now as safe as you can make them? YES/NO
Is there anything else you could do to make it safer to use these substances?

26. Safe Use of Bleach These are the only areas where you should
use bleach solutions:
Daily disinfection of lavatories, wash basins and sluices
Periodic disinfection of baths, commodes, laundry work surfaces, plastic mattress and pillow covers
Disinfection of area after containment of a blood, body fluid or sharps spillage
You should not pour bleach down drains or plug holes - cleaning is much more important. The amount of bleach solution you use to wipe down the inside with is enough to sanitise your U-bend when it is rinsed away.

27. Precautions for the Safe Use of Bleach
Always make sure you dilute the bleach properly as
it tells you to in the instructions.
Prepare fresh solutions of bleach daily. Bleach goes
off if you keep it overnight
Store in a secure, lockable cupboard, out of reach of
service users, children and pets
Do not mix bleach with any other substance. If you mix bleach with other cleaners it could give off chlorine gas which is toxic if you breathe it in
Always rinse surfaces thoroughly after you have cleaned them with detergent, before wiping over with a bleach solution. This is so you do not mix the bleach with any detergent left.
Take care not to splash bleach around when you are using it. You stand more chance of getting it into your eyes or on your skin
Always wear rubber gloves and an overall when using bleach
Wear eye protection if the instructions say so, or if splashing is likely when using bleach
Wash your gloves and hands thoroughly after using bleach

28. DO’S & DON’TS When Using Substances at Work
Read the COSHH Assessment – to find out how to use the product safely
Follow any safe working procedures that are in place
Read the warnings on the label before you use the substance and follow the advice given
Report any problems with your protective clothing to your Supervisor
Wash your hands thoroughly before touching food, drinks, cigarettes or make-up
Work in a sensible and safe way

29. DO’S & DON’TS When Using Substances at Work
Don’t mix cleaning substances together, especially bleach with anything as you could produce chlorine gas which is toxic
Don’t use anything in an unmarked bottle. You don’t know what’s in it - it could turn out to be an oven cleaner that could burn you
Don’t splash cleaning products about. You stand more chance of getting them on you or into you
Don’t use any substance you are unsure about. If you are unsure, ask your Supervisor for advice
Don’t forget to use your personal protective equipment. It’s your body - look after it!

30. Safe Use of Substances at Work Self Assessment
Please tick the answer you feel is correct
1. The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations aim to …
(a) Protect you from becoming ill or injured by using substances at work
(b) Give rubber gloves to people who need them
(c) Help you clean more effectively
2. Which of the following is one of your duties by Law when using substances?
(a) None, safety is the duty of employers
(b) To tell clients how to use substances
(c) To use all protective clothing and equipment needed and take care of it
3. How can you tell if a product could make you ill or injure you?
(a) It looks hazardous
(b) It says so on the label
(c) You can’t tell
4. All bottles of substances should be kept
(a) On the worksurface close to hand
(b) In a locked cupboard
(c) On the top shelf

31. Safe Use of Substances at Work Self Assessment
5. If a substance you use is hazardous, what should you look at first to make the job safer?
(a) Don’t use the substance if possible
(b) Wear gloves
(c) Only use it once a week
6. If another staff member tells you that they have found a bottle of cleaning fluid without a label on it, what should you tell them?
(a) “Use it carefully”
(b) “ Don’t use it as you don’t know if it is hazardous”
(c) “ Label it - general cleaning fluid - and put it in the cupboard”
7. You should use bleach ...
(a) Neat, poured down your plug holes to disinfect them properly
(b) Mixed with a powder cleaner for full effect
(c) Wearing rubber gloves and taking extra care to avoid getting it on your skin or in your eye
8. If you are unsure about using substances safely what should you do?
(a) Contact the Safety Team
(b) Speak to your manager/ supervisor
(c) Carry on and hope the problem goes away

32. Self Assessment Answers Safe Use of Substances