Introduction to Health and Safety at Work

vane 
anemometers
used for measuring air fl ow speeds and 
hygrometers which are used for measuring air humidity.
Qualitative monitoring
techniques include smoke 
tubes and the dust observation lamp. 
Smoke tubes
generate a white smoke which may be used to indicate 
the direction of fl ow of air – this is particularly useful 
when the air speed is very low or when testing the 
effectiveness of ventilation ducting. 
A dust observation 
lamp
enables dust particles which are normally invisible 
to the human eye to be observed in the light beam. This 
dust is usually in the respirable range and, although the 
lamp does not enable any measurements of the dust to 
be made, it will illustrate the operation of a ventilation 
system and the presence of such dust.
Regulation 10 requires routine sampling or monitoring 
of exposure where there could be serious health effects 
if the controls failed, exposure limits might be exceeded 
or the control measures may not be working properly. Air 
Figure 14.8
Hand pump and stain detector.

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Introduction to Health and Safety at Work
236
monitoring should also be undertaken for any hazard-
ous substances listed in Schedule 5 of the COSHH 
Regulations. Records of this monitoring should be kept 
for 5 years unless an employee is identifi able in the 
records in which case they should be kept for 40 years.
14.9 
The control measures required 
under the COSHH Regulations
14.9.1
The principles of good practice for 
the control of exposure to substances 
hazardous to health
The objective of the COSHH Regulations is to prevent 
ill-health due to the exposure to hazardous substances. 
Employers are expected to develop suitable and suffi -
cient control measures by:
1. identifying hazards and potentially signifi cant risks
2. taking action to reduce and control risks
3. keeping control measures under regular review.
In order to assist employers with these duties, the HSE 
have produced the following eight principles of good 
practice:
(a) Design and operate processes and activities to 
minimize the emission, release and spread of sub-
stances hazardous to health
(b) Take into account all relevant routes of exposure 
– inhalation, skin absorption and ingestion – when 
developing control measures
(c) Control exposure by measures that are proportion-
ate to the health risk
(d) Choose the most effective and reliable control 
options which minimize the escape and spread of 
substances hazardous to health
(e) When adequate control of exposure cannot be 
achieved by other means, provide, in combination 
with other control measures, suitable personal pro-
tective equipment
(f) Check and review regularly all elements of control 
measures for their continuing effectiveness
(g) Inform and train all employees on the hazards and 
risks from the substances with which they work and 
the use of control measures developed to minimize 
the risks
(h) Ensure that the introduction of control measures 
does not increase the overall risk to health and 
safety.
All these principles are embodied in the following sec-
tions on COSHH control measures.