May 6, 2005—The UK’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has announced a new focus on helping employers keep their employees from being harmed by the chemicals used in their workplace. The existing requirements are being clarified and brought together by the introduction of eight principles in the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (Amendment) Regulations 2004.
The regulations introduce a new, simpler occupational exposure limit system. Maximum Exposure Limits (MELs) and Occupational Exposure Standards (OESs) will be replaced with a single type of limit: the Workplace Exposure Limit (WEL). All the MELs, and most of the OESs, are being transferred into the new system as WELs and will retain their previous numerical values.
The OESs for around 100 substances will be deleted as the substances are now banned, scarcely used, or there is evidence to suggest adverse health effects close to the old limit value.
HSE says that employers who do not follow these principles will not be properly protecting their employees. Advice on controlling chemicals is available at HSE’s COSHH Essentials Web site.
New versions of the COSHH Approved Code of Practice; EH40 (the list of exposure limits); and the brief guide to COSHH leaflet are available from HSE Books.
