Hazardous Substances
What is a hazardous substance?
Hazardous substances are often found in the majority of workplaces, examples could be paints and cleaning agents. They can also be in the form of fumes and waste products from any work processes.
It is the responsibility of the chemical supplier to ensure hazardous substances are clearly marked with hazard warning labels.
Two new European regulations had an impact on the way chemicals are supplied: packaged and labelled. The new symbols were introduced in 2015; they are very similar, but have a new shape, design and colour.
Types of hazardous substances?
A hazardous substance may be found in many different
forms such as:
- Dusts
- Powders
- Solids
- Liquids
- Gases
- Fumes
What is REACH?
REACH is a European Union regulation concerning the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals.
It came into force on 1st June 2007 and in turn replaced a number of European directives and regulations with a single system.
REACH applies to substances manufactured or imported into the EU in quantities of 1 tonne or more per year generally, it applies to all individual chemical substances on their own, in preparations or in articles.
COSHH and REACH sit side-by-side. Both of them need a risk assessment.
Who must assess risk?
- For COSHH – The employer.
- For REACH – The manufacturer or importer.