CoSHH and Respiratory Sensitisers
Posted: Tuesday, February 23, 2010
by Dale
Ethos Solution Ltd
Occupational asthma can be caused at work by breathing in substances called respiratory sensitisers.
A respiratory sensitiser is a substance which when breathed in can trigger an irreversible allergic reaction in the respiratory system. Once this sensitisation reaction has taken place, further exposure to the substance, will produce symptoms.
Substances responsible for most cases of occupational asthma include the following:
Substance Groups & their Common Activities
Isocyanates:Vehicle spray painting;foam manufacturing
Flour/grain/grain at docks;milling, malting, baking
Glutaraldehyde:Disinfecting instruments
Wood dusts:Sawmilling, woodworking
Electronic Soldering Flux:soldering
Latex:Laboratory animal work
Some glues/resins:Curing of epoxy resins
The symptoms of respiratory sensitisation are:
- asthma - attacks of coughing, breathlessness and tightness of the chest
- rhinitis and conjunctivitis - runny or stuffy nose and watery or prickly eyes
Once a person is sensitised, symptoms can occur either immediately they are exposed to the sensitiser or several hours later. If the symptoms are delayed, they are often most severe in the evenings or during the night, so workers may not realise it is work that is causing the problem.
- Continued exposure to the substance can result in permanent damage to the lungs. People with rhinitis may go on to develop asthma.
- Respiratory sensitisers are regulated by the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health(CoSHH).
CoSHH requires you to carry out an assessment of the risks created by work which are likely to expose your employees to respiratory sensitisers.
First, find out whether there is an activity or process in your workplace which uses or creates respiratory sensitisers.
If this is the case, then ask the following:
- Is the sensitiser likely to become airborne in use?
- Are there safer alternatives?
- Who is likely to be exposed, to what concentrations, for how long and how often?
CoSHH regulations require you to prevent or control exposure. To do this you will need to think about how you can:
- Stop using the sensitiser altogether perhaps by replacing it with a less harmful substance;
or if this is not reasonably practicable;
- Segregate work that may pose a risk; or totally end the process;
or if this is not reasonably practicable;
- Partially enclose the process and provide local exhaust ventilation.
If after carrying out the above you still have not achieved adequate control you will also need to use respiratory protective equipment (RPE).
Unless you are confident that your CoSHH assessment shows that there is an unlikely risk to your health, then a system of health surveillance will need to be set up if employees are exposed to respiratory sensitisers.
If health surveillance makes you suspect an employee has become sensitised you should:
- Remove the individual from working with the sensitiser and advise them to consult a doctor giving information on the work they do and the substances they may have been breathing in;
- Review your CoSHH assessment and existing control measures and make any necessary changes.
Employers have a legal duty to inform, instruct and train individuals who are likely to be exposed to respiratory sensitisers so that they know and understand:
- The risks to health;
- The symptoms of sensitisation
- The significance of reporting even possibly minor symptoms at an early stage;
- The proper use of control measures;
- The need to report promptly any failures in control measures
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Dale Allen develops systems and online software to help you succeed in HSE CoSHH compliance. Find out more about how to effectively manage and produce a compliant CoSHH assessment free with the UK's leading CoSHH compliance authority, COSHH365.
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