Many employees are exposed to a variety of substances at work (e.g. liquids, gases, aerosols, fumes, dusts, fibres) which can, under some circumstances, have a harmful effect on their health. These are called hazardous substances and if exposure to a hazardous substance is not properly controlled it may cause ill health in several ways. Substance may cause harm by:
• Too much being taken into the body through breathing
• Acting directly on the body at the point of contact, (e.g. the skin)
• Being absorbed through the skin
• Being swallowed
Some illnesses caused by exposure to hazardous substances in the workplace (occupational diseases) may not appear until a long time after the first exposure. Therefore, it is important to know in advance how to protect the health of people working with hazardous substances and also of other people who may be affected by the work being carried out.
Exposure monitoring means using suitable techniques to assess the extent of employees’ exposure to substances hazardous to health via all routes (inhalation, ingestion and/or skin). The information gathered during exposure monitoring can help an employer assess whether the control of employees’ exposure is adequate.
You also need to be aware that substances hazardous to health can enter the body. This means that in some situations you may also need to measure and monitor the total amount of a substance that has entered an employee’s body.
If the organisation store, handle, use and transport substances, a COSHH risk assessment should be undertaken to determine the hazards and level of risk present to employees, and the required control measures to ensure exposure is reduced ‘so far as reasonably practicable’. In most cases, exposure monitoring should be part of the overall control strategy identified during the risk assessment process.
Written by Daniel Prosser, MSc CMIOSH L4DipFRA OSHCR
Health, Safety and Wellbeing Professional