CITB Managers Hazardous Substances and COSHH 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under COSHH Regulations 2002, what is the first step a manager must take when dealing with hazardous substances on site?
- Issue PPE to all workers immediately
- Carry out a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks (Correct answer)
- Notify the HSE in writing
- Train all workers in emergency first aid
Correct answer: Carry out a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks
COSHH Regulations require a suitable and sufficient risk assessment before any work with hazardous substances begins, as control measures cannot be properly selected without first understanding the risks.
Question 2: What does COSHH stand for?
- Control of Chemicals on Site and Hazardous Handling
- Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (Correct answer)
- Code of Safe Handling for Hazardous Materials
- Construction Occupational Safety and Health Handbook
Correct answer: Control of Substances Hazardous to Health
COSHH stands for Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, the main piece of UK legislation for managing chemical and biological hazards at work.
Question 3: Which of the following is NOT a recognised route of entry for hazardous substances into the body?
- Inhalation of dusts, fumes or vapours
- Skin absorption or contact
- Ingestion through contaminated hands or food
- Exposure to ionising radiation (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Exposure to ionising radiation
The three main routes of entry for chemical hazardous substances are inhalation, skin absorption, and ingestion; ionising radiation is a separate type of physical hazard, not a chemical route of entry.
Question 4: What is a Workplace Exposure Limit (WEL)?
- The maximum legal dose of a substance a worker may take home on their clothing
- The concentration of a hazardous substance in workplace air, averaged over a specified reference period (Correct answer)
- The minimum distance workers must maintain from hazardous materials storage
- The number of hours per week a worker may handle hazardous substances
Correct answer: The concentration of a hazardous substance in workplace air, averaged over a specified reference period
WELs are airborne concentrations of hazardous substances set by the HSE to protect workers' health, expressed as time-weighted averages over 8-hour or 15-minute reference periods.
Question 5: Under COSHH, when must a COSHH assessment be reviewed?
- Only when a worker reports symptoms of ill health
- Every 10 years as a statutory minimum
- When there is reason to believe it is no longer valid or there has been a significant change (Correct answer)
- Only when a new substance is introduced to site
Correct answer: When there is reason to believe it is no longer valid or there has been a significant change
COSHH assessments must be reviewed whenever there is reason to believe the assessment is no longer valid or when there has been a significant change in the work, substances used, or working conditions.
Question 6: Under COSHH, which hierarchy of controls should a manager apply when managing hazardous substances?
- PPE first, then engineering controls, then substitution
- Elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, then PPE as a last resort (Correct answer)
- Training, monitoring, PPE, then emergency procedures
- Labelling, storage, disposal, then worker training
Correct answer: Elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, then PPE as a last resort
The COSHH hierarchy starts with elimination of the substance and ends with PPE as the least preferred option, consistent with general health and safety risk management principles.
Question 7: Which GHS/CLP pictogram indicates a substance is harmful or an irritant?
- Skull and crossbones (acute toxicity)
- Exclamation mark (Correct answer)
- Flame over a circle (oxidising)
- Biohazard symbol
Correct answer: Exclamation mark
The exclamation mark GHS pictogram is used for substances classified as harmful, irritant, or causing skin/respiratory sensitisation at lower hazard levels.
CITB Managers Hazardous Substances and COSHH 1
Under COSHH Regulations 2002, what is the first step a manager must take when dealing with hazardous substances on site?