CoSHH Awareness and Skin Protection
As specialists in the refurbishment of water retaining structures, our teams use CoSHH materials on a daily basis. These products are DWI Regulation 31 approved products and are known to contain skin sensitizers. In some cases, contact with these sensitisers can cause an allergic response to an individual, with severe consequences. We have recently implemented a number of safety alerts, training exercises and VTBT’s across the company to ensure operatives working with these products have a full understanding of the risks to both themselves and others. A key part of the training has been to ensure our teams understand the risk of onset or increased sensitisation through repeated and prolonged exposure to certain materials. We also focused on demonstrating the importance of following the correct PPE removal procedures. A practical task was set for all operatives working with CoSHH substances, where coveralls and gloves coated in jam, were to be removed without the jam touching any area of skin, the jam was a representation of the uncured materials used on site. The exercise was a complete success and gave our QSE team the chance to remind and reinforce the working procedures around skin protection. This was followed up with a video toolbox talk on the prevention of skin sensitisation and dermatitis. As DWI Regulation 31 products develop, we will ensure the importance of skin protection, washing procedures and effective aftercare is reinforced throughout the company. You can view our ‘Skin Protection VTBT’ here.
