Login

SL69-Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Policy

{{org_field_logo}}

{{org_field_name}}

Registration Number: {{org_field_registration_no}}

Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Policy

1. Purpose

At {{org_field_name}}, we are committed to protecting people receiving support, staff, agency workers, volunteers, contractors and visitors from avoidable harm caused by exposure to substances hazardous to health. This policy sets out how hazardous substances are identified, assessed, controlled, stored, used, transported where applicable, and disposed of safely within our Supported Living service.

This policy applies to hazardous substances used or encountered during the delivery of care and support, including cleaning products, disinfectants, bodily fluids, clinical waste, sharps, medicines-related hazards, aerosols, gases, fumes, vapours, mists, dusts, biological agents and any other substance that may present a risk to health.

In supported living, care and support may be provided in a person’s own home or tenancy. COSHH controls must therefore be applied in a way that is safe, person-centred, proportionate, respectful of the person’s rights, and consistent with tenancy arrangements, mental capacity, consent, safeguarding duties, staff health and safety duties and CQC requirements.

The purpose of this policy is to ensure compliance with the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, the Health and Social Care Act 2008, the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, CQC Fundamental Standards, HSE guidance and relevant infection prevention and control guidance.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all staff, agency workers, volunteers, contractors and managers who may purchase, handle, use, store, transport, encounter, clean up, or dispose of hazardous substances while working for {{org_field_name}}.

This includes work undertaken in:

The policy applies to substances supplied by {{org_field_name}}, substances used by staff during work activities, and substances already present in a person’s home where those substances may create a work-related risk. Where a hazardous substance belongs to the person receiving support, staff must not remove, restrict access to, or dispose of it without lawful authority, consent, best-interest decision-making where applicable, or safeguarding/legal advice where required.

3. Related Policies

4. Legal and Regulatory Framework

Our COSHH arrangements are based on the following legislation, regulations and guidance, as applicable to Supported Living services in England:

5. Identifying Hazardous Substances

Hazardous substances in our Supported Living service may include, but are not limited to:

COSHH does not replace substance-specific legal requirements for asbestos, lead or radioactive substances. If staff suspect the presence of asbestos, lead, radioactive material, illegal substances, unknown chemicals, or any substance presenting serious or immediate danger, they must not handle it and must report the concern immediately to the Registered Manager for specialist advice.

All hazardous substances must be identified, assessed, and labelled clearly to prevent accidental exposure.

5.1 COSHH Inventory

The Registered Manager or delegated competent person must maintain a COSHH inventory/register of hazardous substances used or encountered through the service. The register must include:

Staff must not introduce new hazardous substances for work use unless they have been approved by the Registered Manager or delegated competent person and a COSHH assessment has been completed.

6. Risk Assessment and Control Measures

A suitable and sufficient COSHH risk assessment must be completed before staff use, handle, store or dispose of any hazardous substance as part of their work. The assessment must be proportionate to the level of risk and must consider the specific environment in which support is provided, including where the person receives support in their own home.

The COSHH assessment must identify:

COSHH assessments must be reviewed at least annually and sooner if:

6.1 Implementing Control Measures

{{org_field_name}} will apply the hierarchy of control to prevent or adequately control exposure to hazardous substances:

  1. Eliminate the hazardous substance or task where reasonably practicable.
  2. Substitute with a safer product, safer concentration, safer form or safer process where possible.
  3. Reduce exposure by limiting the quantity used, frequency of use, number of people exposed and duration of exposure.
  4. Use safe systems of work, including written instructions, manufacturer’s instructions, dilution instructions, no-mixing rules, safe cleaning methods and safe disposal procedures.
  5. Use engineering or environmental controls where relevant, including ventilation, closed containers, spill trays or suitable storage.
  6. Maintain hygiene controls, including hand hygiene, cleaning schedules, safe management of contaminated items and prevention of cross-contamination.
  7. Provide information, instruction, training and supervision so staff understand the hazards, control measures and emergency procedures.
  8. Use PPE only where risks remain after other controls, ensuring that PPE is suitable, properly fitted where relevant, compatible with other PPE, available, maintained, replaced and disposed of safely.

Staff must follow the COSHH assessment and must not mix chemicals, decant substances into unlabelled containers, use substances for purposes not intended by the manufacturer, or use any product where the label or Safety Data Sheet indicates that it is not safe for the intended task.

6.2 Person-Centred COSHH in Supported Living

People receiving support may have their own cleaning products, personal care products, medicines, oxygen, continence supplies or other substances in their home. Staff must respect the person’s home, choices, privacy and rights while also following health and safety requirements.

Where a substance in a person’s home presents a risk, staff must:

Staff must not impose blanket restrictions. Any restriction on a person’s access to their own possessions or household products must be lawful, necessary, proportionate, risk assessed, documented and reviewed.

6.3 Safety Data Sheets and Manufacturer Instructions

Safety Data Sheets must be available for hazardous chemical products supplied or used by {{org_field_name}}. Staff must be able to access relevant COSHH assessments and key safety instructions at the point of use.

A Safety Data Sheet supports the COSHH assessment but does not replace it. The Registered Manager or delegated competent person must use Safety Data Sheets, product labels, manufacturer instructions and the circumstances of actual use to decide the controls required.

Staff must follow manufacturer instructions for dilution, contact time, ventilation, storage, incompatibilities, PPE, first aid and disposal. Products must not be used if the label is missing, unreadable, damaged, or inconsistent with the COSHH assessment.

7. Safe Storage and Handling of Hazardous Substances

7.1 Storage Procedures

7.2 Handling Procedures

8. Disposal of Hazardous Substances

8.1 Waste Segregation and Disposal

Waste must be segregated, stored and disposed of safely in line with the waste risk assessment, local authority or waste contractor requirements, infection prevention and control guidance, medicines guidance and any specific instructions from healthcare professionals.

The Registered Manager must ensure that staff know the correct waste streams used by the service and that waste contractor records, where applicable, are retained.

8.2 Spill Management

Staff must respond to spills promptly, safely and in accordance with the COSHH assessment, Safety Data Sheet, infection prevention and control procedures and emergency instructions.

For any spill, staff must:

Staff must not attempt to clean a spill where:

In these circumstances, staff must isolate the area if safe, support people to move away, contact the Registered Manager or on-call manager, and seek emergency assistance where required.

9. Staff Training and Competency

All staff must receive COSHH information, instruction and training appropriate to their role before they are required to use, handle, store, clean up or dispose of hazardous substances.

Training must include:

Staff competency must be assessed where staff undertake higher-risk tasks, including handling clinical waste, sharps, cytotoxic/cytostatic medicines, oxygen, bodily-fluid spills, infectious waste or chemical spill management.

Agency workers and new staff must receive sufficient local information before undertaking tasks involving hazardous substances. Training and competency records must be retained and reviewed as part of governance audits.

10. Emergency Procedures for Exposure or Incidents

10.1 First Aid Measures

Staff must follow the Safety Data Sheet, COSHH assessment, product label and first aid guidance for the substance involved. Where there is any doubt, staff must seek medical advice immediately.

Emergency services must be contacted where there is serious injury, breathing difficulty, loss of consciousness, suspected poisoning, chemical burns, significant eye injury, anaphylaxis, fire, explosion risk or uncontrolled exposure.

10.2 Reporting and Incident Documentation

All COSHH-related incidents, near misses, exposures, spills, unsafe storage concerns, missing labels, PPE failures, sharps injuries and waste incidents must be reported to the Registered Manager or on-call manager as soon as possible and recorded in the incident reporting system.

Incident records must include:

The Registered Manager must consider whether the incident requires:

Lessons learned must be shared with staff through supervision, team meetings, alerts, updated risk assessments or retraining where required.

10.3 RIDDOR, CQC Notifications and Safeguarding

The Registered Manager is responsible for reviewing COSHH-related incidents to decide whether external reporting is required.

RIDDOR reporting may be required for specified work-related injuries, occupational diseases, dangerous occurrences, or certain exposures to biological agents, carcinogens or mutagens. HSE guidance confirms that RIDDOR includes reportable incidents involving biological agents and dangerous occurrences.

CQC notification may be required where a COSHH-related incident results in serious injury, abuse or allegation of abuse, death, an event that stops or may stop the service from operating safely, or another notifiable incident under the Registration Regulations.

A safeguarding referral must be considered where unsafe storage, misuse, neglect, self-neglect, deliberate exposure, coercion, poor infection control, unsafe medicines handling, or environmental risks place a person at risk of abuse or neglect.

All external notifications must be recorded, including the date submitted, person responsible, reference number and follow-up action required.

11. Monitoring and Continuous Improvement

The Registered Manager will ensure that COSHH arrangements are monitored through the service’s governance systems. Monitoring will include:

Audit findings must be recorded in an action plan showing the issue identified, action required, responsible person, timescale, completion date and evidence of completion.

Where audits or incidents identify immediate risk, the Registered Manager must act without delay to protect people and staff. Learning must be shared with staff and used to update COSHH assessments, care plans, training and procedures.

12. Confidentiality and Data Protection

COSHH-related records, including COSHH assessments, incident reports, exposure records, training records, audit records, health surveillance information and occupational health correspondence, must be stored securely in line with the Confidentiality and Data Protection Policy, UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Access must be limited to those who require the information for a lawful work purpose. Health information about staff or people receiving support must be handled confidentially and shared only where lawful, necessary and proportionate.

Records must be retained in line with {{org_field_name}}’s records retention schedule and any statutory or insurance requirements.

13. Roles and Responsibilities

The Provider/Nominated Individual is responsible for:

The Registered Manager is responsible for:

Senior staff/team leaders are responsible for:

All staff are responsible for:

Contractors are responsible for:

14. Health Surveillance and Exposure Monitoring

The Registered Manager must seek competent health and safety or occupational health advice where a COSHH assessment identifies that exposure monitoring or health surveillance may be required.

Health surveillance may be required where staff are exposed to substances that can cause occupational asthma, dermatitis, sensitisation, infection or other identifiable health effects, and where there is a reasonable likelihood that exposure may occur despite controls.

Staff must report work-related symptoms promptly, including skin irritation, rashes, breathing difficulties, eye irritation, headaches, dizziness, allergic reactions, needlestick injuries or symptoms following exposure to bodily fluids or chemicals.

Health surveillance records must be kept securely and confidentially. Findings must be used to review COSHH controls, training, PPE and working practices.

15. Pregnancy, Young Workers and Individual Staff Risks

COSHH assessments must consider individual staff risks where relevant, including pregnancy, breastfeeding, young workers, asthma, allergies, dermatitis, immune suppression, disability or other health conditions that may increase vulnerability to hazardous substances.

Staff should inform their manager if they have a health condition or circumstance that may affect their safety when working with hazardous substances. Managers must handle this information confidentially and consider reasonable adjustments, occupational health advice or task restrictions where required.

Staff must not be required to undertake tasks involving hazardous substances where the risk assessment identifies that the task cannot be carried out safely.

16. Prohibited or Restricted Practices

The following practices are not permitted:

17. CQC Evidence and Records

To evidence compliance with CQC Fundamental Standards, {{org_field_name}} will maintain:

These records will support the service to demonstrate safe care and treatment, safe environments, effective staffing, infection prevention and control, medicines safety, good governance and continuous improvement.

18. Policy Review

This policy will be reviewed at least annually and sooner if required due to:

The Registered Manager is responsible for ensuring that the policy is implemented, monitored and reviewed, and that staff are informed of any changes relevant to their role.

Responsible Person: {{org_field_registered_manager_first_name}} {{org_field_registered_manager_last_name}}
Reviewed on: {{last_update_date}}
Next Review Date: {{next_review_date}}
Copyright © {{current_year}} – {{org_field_name}}. All rights reserved.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *