Common COSHH challenges in manufacturing
Health and safety can be difficult to navigate with the challenges of changing legislation and maintaining the engagement of your workforce. We speak to health and safety specialists in manufacturing every day; here are some of the most common COSHH challenges they face:
Lack of COSHH education and expertise
Manufacturers have a dedicated health and safety team, however it’s rare that this will include a COSHH expert. This means that businesses often face risks which are not managed properly and means the business is not running as efficiently as possible.
Time and resource
Health and safety teams simply do not have the time or resource to manually write hundreds of COSHH assessments and keep them updated in line with changing legislation. This can lead to inefficiencies and noncompliance.
24/7 COSHH resource
Health and safety teams generally work 9 to 5, but the need for effective COSHH management never stops. Manufacturers operate 24/7, which requires a COSHH competent person on-site, at all times.
Quality and standardisation of COSHH assessments
Multiple people across various sites and departments often write COSHH assessments. This often leads to inconsistencies in the way in which substances are being handled, managed and reported on.
Outdated systems
A lot of manufacturers still use manual, paper-based COSHH processes. This means that COSHH assessments are often out of date, out of sight and only reviewed when something goes wrong.
Lack of employee engagement in COSHH
COSHH management is the responsibility of a whole business, not just the health and safety team. However, it’s common that workers do not understand COSHH or how to access information to protect themselves and those around them.