Have the right workplace facilities | COSHH essentials | Latest news headlines

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Make sure you know your COSHH essentials

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A variety of harmful substances are found in our working environments knowing how to control these safely is key to safety and protection from harm.

If you work with hazardous substances, our Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) website can help you understand the actions you should take to stay healthy.

Download HSE's publication Working with substances hazardous to health: A brief guide to COSHH, which explains how to control exposure and comply with the regulations.

Our COSHH Safe Handling Chemicals posteralso provides crucial guidance on how to handle chemicals safely in your workplace, including a useful hazardous signs check.


Make sure you have the right workplace facilities

Male washing hands in workplace toilet

Employers must provide welfare facilities and a working environment that's healthy and safe for everyone in the workplace, including those with disabilities.

This means you must have:

  • welfare facilities
  • a healthy working environment
  • a safe workplace

Find out in more detail what youmust provide for a safe and healthy workplace.

Employers are also required to provide enough toilets and washbasins for those expected to use them. Follow our guidance fortoilets and washing facilities.


Construction firm fined after serious injury to work experience teenager

The 16-year-old boy suffered the injuries after becoming trapped under a tractor.

The teenager was on work experience and was driving a tractor down an incline when it came off the track and overturned. He was alone and the tractor did not have a seat belt fitted.

HSE's investigation found the company had failed to adequately protect the boy through:

  • a lack of supervision
  • not providing adequate information, instruction and training for him

The company was ordered to pay a fine of 50,000.

Read this press releasefor further details on the incident.

HSE has guidance protecting younger workers.

Other recent prosecution cases include:


Work safely in confined spaces

worker lowering into manhole

A number of people are killed or seriously injured in Great Britain each year in confined spaces.

A confined space is a place:

  • which is substantially enclosed (though not always entirely)
  • where serious injury can occur from hazardous substances or conditions within the space or nearby

Our short guide will be useful to anyone involved in carrying out work in confined spaces.

You can also download a copy of our Safe work in confined spacespublication, which gives examples and helps you put precautions in place for work to be carried out safely.

A hard copy is available on the HSE Books website.


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