Approved Chemicals and Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH)

The relevant COSHH legislation applies to all businesses, even if yours is an office based business that uses chemicals found in most households. If any chemical is identified as hazardous, then you are required by law to carry out a COSHH Risk Assessment on this chemical.

TAM's COSHH Risk Assessment software

Regardless of whether you have only a few or many hazardous substances present in your workplace, the good news is that TAM's COSHH software makes it really easy; to manage and control the chemicals that you have on site; to create COSHH Risk Assessments where necessary; train your staff; and ensure your staff have easy and immediate access to the COSHH Risk Assessments and COSHH Data Sheets.By law suppliers of chemicals must provide an up to date safety data sheet if a substance is ‘dangerous for supply’. Safety data sheets provide information on chemical products that help users of those chemicals to make a Risk Assessment. http://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/
basics/datasheets.htm

This is how TAM helps you manage your chemicals

In order to help you control which chemicals are used within your company, TAM's COSHH software enables you to put all your chemicals - hazardous and non-hazardous - onto the TAM system.

This is a quick process where you enter details of the chemical and upload the Data SheetsBy law suppliers of chemicals must provide an up to date safety data sheet if a substance is ‘dangerous for supply’. Safety data sheets provide information on chemical products that help users of those chemicals to make a Risk Assessment. http://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/
basics/datasheets.htm onto TAM. The advantage of using this system is that it is very easy for your staff to understand which chemicals are approved for use on site, which ones are safe, which ones are not, and they can then also easily access all the Data SheetsBy law suppliers of chemicals must provide an up to date safety data sheet if a substance is ‘dangerous for supply’. Safety data sheets provide information on chemical products that help users of those chemicals to make a Risk Assessment. http://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/
basics/datasheets.htm and COSHH Risk Assessments for chemicals and substances that are relevant to them.

As the hazard classifications set out in the Data SheetsBy law suppliers of chemicals must provide an up to date safety data sheet if a substance is ‘dangerous for supply’. Safety data sheets provide information on chemical products that help users of those chemicals to make a Risk Assessment. http://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/
basics/datasheets.htm are copied across, TAM will also help you to identify which chemicals you need to produce COSHH Risk Assessments for.

Chemicals that are not considered hazardous can then be approved for use immediately so that staff can have access to the Data SheetsBy law suppliers of chemicals must provide an up to date safety data sheet if a substance is ‘dangerous for supply’. Safety data sheets provide information on chemical products that help users of those chemicals to make a Risk Assessment. http://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/
basics/datasheets.htm and information about the chemicals in question.

New Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS)

European Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 on Classification, Labelling and Packaging of substances and mixtures came into force on 20 January 2009 in all EU Member States, including the UK. It is known by its abbreviated form, "the CLP Regulation" or just plain "CLP".

The CLP Regulation adopts the United Nations’ new "Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS)" (GHS) across all European Union countries.

In other words, this implementation process of GHS has already started and will run in parallel with the old CHIP system used in the UK until the implementation of GHS into your Safety Data Sheets is be completed by 1 June 2017, at which time the old system will have been phased out. As a result, you will be able to find some of your chemicals using the old CHIP system for the Safety Data Sheets and some using the new GHS system. However, as manufacturer of chemicals should have had the new GHS in place by 1 June 2015, you will see more and more of the GHS system appear in your Safety Data Sheets.

The easiest way to establish which standard/system is being used in the Safety Data Sheet for a particular chemical is to look for the icons used to identify any hazards. The image below shows examples of the old CHIP system’s pictograms at the top and the new CLP/GHS system’s pictograms at the bottom.

You can use either of these two systems when you set up a new chemical on TAM's COSHH software depending on which system your chemical supplier is using their Data Sheet. For those chemicals that you have set up on TAM using the old CHIP system, it is very easy to then convert these to the new CLP/GHS system when the time comes.

Automatic population of the Fire Risk Assessment

TAM's COSHH Risk Assessment software also helps you organise the storage of chemicals that are either flammable or considered a fire risk. Details of these chemicals, and where they are stored on the premises, are then automatically fed into your Fire Risk Assessment.