| Preventing personal exposure to acid cleaning products |
DESCRIPTION
Following a routine call to a ready-mix site to seek advice for using acid cleaning it became apparent that the safe procedure was not being adhered to. An alert was put out to all company sites/personnel halting the use of these products until further notice. Further investigation concluded that a more robust system was required.
After consultation with other managers, a safe system of work was completed, detailing the use of acid cleaning products. The issue of all such products was recorded in a simple log book, together with details of who they were signed out to. The system includes reporting any potentially hazardous issues using the company near-miss forms. The acid cleaning products can only be issued by a manager/supervisor/competent person from a locked storage facility, and only when the driver has presented themselves with the appropriate PPE. Relevant managers were inducted, and, in turn, they trained and signed off drivers as required. All persons must be signed off in the safe use of this type of product, before use.
BENEFITS
Drivers are able to use acid cleaning products in a controlled and safer environment, reducing the risk of injury to themselves and others. The 'COSHH Dangerous Substance Log Book' is in place for any other products that may be assessed as high risk. Logging each usage also enables easier auditing and monitoring of the use of potentially dangerous products.
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