The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002 places a duty on all employers to undertake assessments which evaluate the risks to health when using hazardous substances within the workplace.

Employees can be exposed to a variety of substances at work (eg. chemicals, fumes, dusts, fibres) which may have a harmful effect on their health. These are commonly referred to as ‘hazardous substances’ and if exposure to these substances is not properly controlled, it may cause ill health in a number of ways: –

· By breathing fume, dust, fibres, gas or mist.
· By skin contact.
· By injection into the skin.
· By swallowing.

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 for those who may suffer from indirect contact.

WELs (Workplace Exposure Limits) are British occupational exposure limits and set in order to help protect the health of workers. WELs are concentrations of hazardous substances in the air, averaged over a specified period of time, referred to as a time-weighted average (TWA). Two time periods are generally used:

· Long-term (8 hours); and
· Short-term (15 minutes).

Substances that have been assigned a WEL are subject to the requirements of COSHH. These regulations require employers to prevent or control exposure to hazardous substances.

We offer workplace exposure monitoring for a wide range of chemicals, hazardous substances and other potential dangers to health including:

· Substances used directly within work activities (eg. adhesives and solvents).
· Substances generated during work activities (eg. dust fumes).
· Naturally occurring substances (eg. flour and grain dust).

Our team at Operational are here to assist and support industry to provide a safe working environment for their employees and others. Operational have engineered extract ventilation systems, for over 30 years, ensuring that work environments are as safe as practicably possible. Our engineering expertise and experience, makes Operational the best choice for Personal Exposure Monitoring.

Get in touch about our energy and environmental process services today.