.
COSHH
As a matter of common sense and as a legal requirement under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health 2002 (COSHH) legislation, it is necessary that an assessment of the associated risks associated with the substances necessary for your work, is made before the work commences
Collaboration and consultation are key elements of COSHH - it is risks to your health , so take as active a part in the assessment of the risks of your work as you can. Indeed, advisers to research students and postdoctoral workers will expect active participation in the assessment as part of the educational process. Everyone who works with potentially hazardous substances must be involved in this risk assessment at the start of his or her work and whenever the nature of the work changes, with the situation reviewed annually.
In practice a COSHH assessment comprises three parts, a Material Safety Data Sheet, usually provided by a chemical supplier, a full written protocol of the experimental procedure, substances requiring individual COSHH assessments (or reference to where one can be a minimum standard) and a risk assessment for the procedure using the substance. This assessment should cover:
Identification of the substances involved.
Potential exposure mechanisms.
Control and containment measures (precautions).
Emergency procedures in case of accident.
Health and exposure monitoring, where applicable.
Training requirements to carry out procedure.
Access by third parties.
Waste disposal.
Significant findings from the assessments must be recorded, dated and subject to regulations .
Generic assessments, covering a group of substances and procedures posing similar risk~ acceptable based on the most hazardous member of the group. However, substances clas “Toxic” or Very Toxic” must be covered by an individual assessment.
It is the responsibility of the DSA to coordinate the completion of COSHH assessments. Details can be found in the Health and Safety Office Codes of Practice for work with chemicals and biological agents.
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/safety/policy/cop/bioCOP.pdf
https://www.bris.ac.uk/safety/uobonly/forms/biological/coshh-ba.doc
You will also find information on HSE website :
http://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/