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Fulfilling your statutory obligations with expert analysis and advice

Health & Safety At Work

C.O.S.H.H.

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (C.O.S.H.H.) are set out under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

The fundamental requirements of the C.O.S.H.H. regulations are:

  • Assessment of health risks
  • the prevention or adequate control of exposure
  • The provision and maintenance of proper control measures and personal protective equipment.
  • Information, instruction and training
  • monitoring the levels of exposure and the provision of suitable health surveillance.

Health & Safety Services Offered

Leicestershire and Staffordshire Scientific Services can offer assistance in all of the above areas and provide workplace assessments to include:

  • Initial appraisal of the working environment
  • Sampling strategy
  • Analysis in the laboratory or on site
  • Interpretation of laboratory work and hazard assessment
  • Recommendations of remedial measures or other course of action
  • Scientific Officers are already contracted to examine Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV), measure airborne dust concentrations and to test the workplace for a wide range of noxious gases and solvent vapours.

In addition, Leicestershire and Staffordshire Scientific Services can provide an interpretive report on occasions when product data sheets are incomplete or incomprehensible.

Air Pollution

We also undertake health and safety monitoring of air in line with the MDHS (Methods for Determination of Hazardous Substances) published by the Health and Safety Executive. This may be indoors (eg. from particular factory processes) or outdoors (eg. From open excavations), for example. The laboratory can identify: particulate matter, airborne dust, fibres and metals (a large list including lead, cadmium, chromium, nickel and platinum), acidic, alkaline gases and organic vapours.

Fumes from soldering flux in the electrical industry (‘colophony’) can also be measured to verify that the resin acids in rosin are within the Health and Safety Executive guidelines for the protection of workers.

Workplace Alcohol Screening

Leicestershire and Staffordshire Scientific Services can provide a workplace screening service for businesses wishing to prevent or tackle alcohol-related problems at work. Alcohol is estimated to cause 3 to 5% of all absences from work. The service will be of help to companies which have a disciplinary or counselling policy towards alcohol in the workplace. It can also be used in investigations into accidents where alcohol may have been a contributory factor.

If someone drinks two pints (or four glasses of wine) in the lunch break, alcohol will remain in the bloodstream for most of the afternoon and could affect their performance. If someone drinks heavily during the evening they may still exceed the legal drink-drive limit the following morning.

Monitoring is carried out by taking blood or urine samples for analysis and a similar service is available in relation to drug abuse or misuse.

Our Credentials

Leicestershire and Staffordshire Scientific Services is an efficient and reliable scientific service offering testing and analysis, advice and support to customers in the public and private sector.

We have four Public Analysts, thirty-five well-qualified, experienced staff and two laboratories, based in Leicester and Stafford, accredited to UKAS Quality Standard ISO/IEC 17025 which are both Official Food Enforcement Laboratories

View UKAS accreditation schedule for Leicestershire for Staffordshire.

Getting In Touch

Staffordshire Scientific Services
14 Martin Street
Stafford ST16 2LG

T: 01785 277 825 F: 01785 277 812Email: county.analysts@staffordshire.gov.uk

Staffordshire County Council website