When popping to the shops to buy a chemical is OK, but only if you read the label
What happened?
A plumber was working on a choked hand basin in a café at a hotel. After unsuccessfully trying to unblock the drain using mechanical means, he purchased some drain cleaner and applied it to the choked drain. The product leaked on to the floor where he was kneeling, and soaked into his trousers.
He had not been provided with a safety data sheet for the use of the chemical, and hadn’t received any training on its use from his employer, so was unaware of the risks involved and the necessary precautions when handling such products.
The following day he realised the extent of his injuries and subsequently spent nine days in a specialist burns unit, where he required skin grafts and months of aftercare.
The EHO investigation found that no assessment had been carried out in accordance with COSHH Regulations 2002, and no procedures were in place for controlling the use and purchase of hazardous substances by employees.
The company admitted failing to assess the risks arising from the use of such substances, failing to prevent its employee’s exposure to such substances, and failing to ensure that the employee had received information, instruction and training in relation to such substances.
Legal Outcome
The plumbing company was fined £12,000 after pleading guilty to a charge under S2 of the HSWA.
What can we learn from what happened?
There is limited information available here, but we get the general idea. There would not have been a safety data sheet supplied when the chemical was purchased, but there would have been labelling on the chemical container that would have provided brief information about its hazard category and how it should be used. Maybe the employee did not read the label. That said, to properly risk assess the use of the chemical, as required by COSHH, you do need a safety data sheet.
Among all the things the company weren’t controlling (a lot), they did not have a procedure for purchasing the chemical, but generally speaking chemicals really should not be accessed this way for the reason above. It is often the case that employees will pop out and buy something they need from the shops, but when there are safety implications then it really restricts the opportunity for risk assessment.
Source of Information
SHP Online