Chemical Hazard Awareness is Absolutely Crucial in many Workplaces

In day to day life, many of us are familiar with the use of chemicals. You may periodically paint your shed at home, or use pesticides and detergents in the garden. In fact, chemicals are almost inescapable, which makes it extremely important to read the relevant labels and become well-versed on the risks that apply to the use of certain substances.

However, are all of your employees who may use chemicals in your workplace even sufficiently aware of the risks? You may be shocked to learn just how lacking a decent level of chemical hazard awareness really is in many organisations, despite the widespread use of hazardous substances, which may involve solvents, acids, dust and liquids. This only makes it all the more important to ensure that employees have an awareness of chemical hazards.

What better company could you turn to for such awareness training than Howlett Health and Safety Services? Our own course introduces your employees to the first principles of chemical hazard awareness, ensuring that they have a good understanding of the risks that certain substances can pose in the work environment. We can tailor the training to your company’s specific requirements ensuring that all of the essentials are covered.

It’s vital to remember that as an employer, you are legally required to ensure that the risks to health of employees exposed to hazardous substances is assessed. This is part of the requirements of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH). The health and safety executive provides some key information in this area of COSHH. Doing this successfully depends on assessing the risks in your workplace and implementing and maintaining control measures. A dedicated section of the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) website will keep you informed on your chemical hazard awareness obligations, covering chemicals, Safety Data Sheets (SDSs), and much more.

By training your staff in the essential elements of chemical hazard awareness, you can better fulfil your legal, moral and financial obligations towards the health and safety of your employees. It’s not just employees working in heavy industry who may use chemicals in the workplace, but other employees with the likes of pest control operators, laboratory technicians, cleaners, farmers and hairdressers to name a few, all come into contact with chemicals on a daily basis.

It’s very simple – where chemicals are used in the workplace, knowing how to handle them matters. By getting in touch with Howlett Health and Safety Services we’ll be able to discuss with you the best approach for your employees in relation to chemical hazard awareness training and be best-placed to keep your workers and – by extension – your wider business safe for a long time into the future.