Hazardous Substances

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The Control of Substances

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH) 2002 impose duties on POD to prevent or control exposure to hazardous substances. Any on-site hazardous substance, as defined under the COSHH Regulations, will be assessed with necessary measures put in place to eliminate the risk or reduce the risk to an acceptable level. 

COSHH assessments, data safety sheets and any necessary method statements will be held on site or requested from the relevant contractors. 

Where Contractors introduce hazardous substances as defined under the COSHH Regulations during the course of their work, they are responsible for: 

• Ensuring a suitable COSHH assessment has been undertaken in accordance with the Regulations 

and identifying and implementing appropriate control measures. 

• Provision of sufficient exposure monitoring and health surveillance where necessary. 

• Providing adequate information, instruction, training and supervision on the use of the chemicals.

• Storing any hazardous chemicals appropriately e.g. behind locked doors, to prevent exposure to employees and tenants/residents. 

Asbestos

The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 require POD to manage asbestos in communal areas, which includes protecting anyone using or working in the premises from the risks to health that exposure to asbestos causes. 

  • 1)

    POD is responsible to know of any material that contains asbestos in the communal areas of the developments we manage. This includes the roof and main structure of the building.

  • 2)

    Asbestos is unlikely to be present in buildings built after 2000, but this should be checked to identify asbestos, POD will commission an asbestos survey. Where it is found, there will be a policy for the management and control of it. There isn’t a duty to remove asbestos, as in many cases it is actually more dangerous to do so. Any works carried out will be completed by a competent vetted contractor.

  • 3)

    Failure to manage asbestos in a communal area can lead to exposure to deadly asbestos fibers. POD arranges for an Asbestos Survey to be carried out by a competent person, notifying contractors about the presence of asbestos at POD managed developments when instructing them.