What is a Hazardous Substance under COSHH?
• Substances used directly in work activity eg: adhesives, paints, cleaning agents; • Substances generated during work activities eg: fumes from soldering; • Naturally occurring substances eg: grain dust; • Biological agents such as bacteria and other micro-organisms. Biologically hazardous agents are living micro-organisms which may cause infection, allergy, toxicity or otherwise create a hazard to human health. The County Analyst has prepared a generic assessment of risks to health to County Council employees arising from incidental exposure to biological agents. Guidance page for Biological Agents. Many hazardous substances that you will encounter in the workplace can be identified by their warning label or from the safety data sheet from the supplier. Under the Chemicals (Hazards Information and Packaging for Supply) (CHIP) Regulations suppliers must decide if substances are dangerous and if so clearly identify the hazard with a warning label. There are a number of ways to identify
