1.9 Health & Safety Flashcards
COSHH (what does it stand for & def?)
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health:
- laws requiring employers to control substances which have the potential to cause harm to anyone who comes into contact with them
materials covered by COSHH?
- chemicals (& products contains them)
- fumes
- dusts
- vapours & mists
- nanotechnology
- gases & asphyxiating gases
- biological agents (germs)
materials NOT covered by COSHH?
- lead
- asbestos
- radioactive substances
key issues required to be considered
- exposure (inhalation, skin contact, etc)
- flammability
hierarchy of control measures
elimination > substitution > engineering controls > administrative controls > PPE
what are engineering controls?
MODIFICATION- change physical conditions
CONTAINMENT- do operators need to access only part of the system?
AUTOMATION- can machines do this instead?
ISOLATION- can process be monitored remotely?
VENTILATION- can substance be extracted?
what are administrative controls?
- worker based controls
- eg job rotation
key steps of a COSHH assessment
- assess risks (observe, accident records, product labels & safety sheets, speak to independent consultant, ask employees)
- decide on precautions requires
- prevent/control exposure (hierarchy of control)
- ensure control measures used & maintained
- monitor exposure (walkthrough survey, COSHH air sampling)
- health surveillance
- plan for accidents & emergencies
- inform, train & supervise employees
what is LEV
Local Exhaust Ventilation:
extraction system, removes hazardous substances from the air
what is the purpose of monitoring and health surveillance?
- protect health of employee
- identify health problems early
- identify action that may need to be taken to improve/correct measures
- ensure workplace exposure limits are not exceeded
when to review & monitor COSHH assessment?
- new machinery, tools & equipment
- new info available for product
- new substances/chemicals
- moving to a new area/location
- new employees introduced
- start of new project
hazard pictograms
revise on quizlet:
https://quizlet.com/_9rfq1b?x=1jqt&i=13xvmv
consumer protection act 1987- 4 key points
- right to claim compensation if defective product causes death, damage or injury
- product liability: manufacturer held responsible if a product is defective/cause injury
- general safety requirement: all domestic products must be considered ‘reasonably safe’. If not can be removed from sale for up to 6 months
- sellers cannot give misleading price indications, goods can be seized if there are reasonable grounds to suspect this
damage excluded by consumer protection act 1987 (3)
- loss/damage to product itself
- damage to business products not intended for private use
- damage to property below a value of £275
under consumer protection act 1987 manufacturers should: (4)
- warn customers about potential risk
- provide info to customers to understand potential risks
- monitor products’ safety
- take action if a safety problem is found (eg recalling a product)
consumer protection act 2015
- consumer has 30 days from when they took ownership to return & claim refund
- after this retailer must have opportunity to repair/replace before refund claim
key differences of consumer protection act 2015 to 1987:
- consumers have right to repair/replacement if digital content faulty (eg games, ebooks)
- laws apply to companies outside UK selling to UK customers
- when services go wrong you can ask for service to be redone or a discount
standards (definition)
published document showing an agreed way of doing something & provides assurance of consistently reliable and safe products
BSI & kitemark (summary)
- BSI produces sets of standards to ensure consumer products are safe, well made & fit for purpose
- kitemark is a quality mark. produces must pay to use it (& meet standards), the kitemark can be displayed on the product
- companies are subject to ongoing testing of product & manufacture to maintain standards
CE mark (very brief summary)
- product conforms to European safety standards
- compulsory for all products sold in the EU
ISO (international standards organisation) (summary)
- made up of 150+ national standards bodies (inc. BSI)
- internationally recognised standards agreed on & put in place
- allows companies to extend market into other countries
- many companies only deal with other companies who conform to these standards
- eg ISO 9001 (quality management)
lionmark (summary)
- shows children’s toys developed with quality & safety in mind
- indicates toy has been made by members of the British Toy and Hobby Association
- BTHA adheres to code of practise which inc:
> ethical & safe manufacture
> ban on counterfeit goods
> commitment to improving sustainability
> promote value of all play
lionmark- test for choking risk
- for products for children under 36 months (3 yrs)
- use a ‘small parts cylinder’
- represents a child’s windpipe
- any part/toy that can fit in the cylinder is a choking hazard
general requirements of ISO 9001 (5)
- a quality management system
- management responsibility
- resource management
- product realisation
- measuring analysis & improvement
benefits of standards to manufacturers (4)
- customers trust your product
- customers more likely to recommend products with kitemark
- increases reputation
- consumers more likely to buy products with kitemark when choosing between products
benefits of standards to consumer (3)
- product comes from a reputable company
- safe to use as conforms to standards
- product is high quality
