RR737 - COSHH and current practice
Guidance on the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH) has been recently revised (INDG136 Rev4). Before publication, HSE wished to test whether this new format would properly engage and inform the target audience of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and, especially, micro-businesses. The overall aim of this project was, therefore, to gather indicative feedback from this intended user group about the utility and usability of the draft version of the new COSHH guidance, and suggestions for improvements.
The new draft guidance document was considered to be broadly acceptable, comprehensible, and usable by the end-user community of SMEs and micro-businesses. Evidence from the three focus groups points to a number of key areas within the guidance that address the main issues of COSHH risk management. The guidance was described as:
- containing appropriate amounts of information;
- using language of an appropriate level;
- being usable in the practical way intended such that it addresses the realities and practicalities of a wide range of workplace settings.
This suggests that the document is perceived as being both comprehensive and appropriate to the needs of the end-user community.
This report and the work it describes were funded by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Its contents, including any opinions and/or conclusions expressed, are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect HSE policy.
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