Introduction to Health and Safety at Work

14.4.1 The role of COSHH
The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regu-
lations 1988 (COSHH) were the most comprehensive and 
signifi cant piece of Health and Safety legislation to be 
introduced since the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. 
They were enlarged to cover biological agents in 1994 
and further amended in 1997, 1999, 2002, and 2005. 
A detailed summary of these Regulations appears in 
Chapter 17. The Regulations impose duties on employers 
to protect employees and others who may be exposed 
to substances hazardous to their health and requires 
employers to control exposure to such substances.
The COSHH Regulations offer a framework for 
employers to build a management system to assess 
health risks and to implement and monitor effective 
controls. Adherence to these Regulations will provide 
the following benefi ts to the employer and employee:
➤
Improved productivity due to lower levels of ill-
health and more effective use of materials
➤
Improved employee morale
➤
lower numbers of civil court claims
➤
better understanding of health and safety legal 
requirements.
Organizations which ignore COSHH requirements, will 
be liable for enforcement action, including prosecution, 
under the Regulations.
14.5 
Routes of entry to the human body
There are three principal routes of entry of hazardous 
substances into the human body:
➤
inhalation
– breathing in the substance with normal 
air intake. This is the main route of contaminants 
Figure 14.1
Classifi 
cation 
symbols.
Harmful
(X
n)
Irritant
(X
i)
Corrosive
(C)
Toxic
(T)
Carcinogenic
(T)

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