In light of the national effort, Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) specialists Alcumus Sypol, is offering its advice to NHS workers, that are facing COVID-19 to help mitigate risk and protect from exposure at work. 

Alcumus is offering a free COSHH Risk Assessment Bundle for NHS hospitals and care homes. This includes 80+ assessments, free of charge, that will be available for 6 months to ensure that workers on the frontline have access to the information they need to carry out their job safely. For further information visit: www.alcumusgroup.com/covid-19-nhs-risk-assessment

To further support key healthcare workers, Alcumus has created a set of frequently asked questions and answers to support workers that may be at risk during this time. These questions and their assessments will be regularly updated to reflect the changing nature of the pandemic and ensure all of the most recent regulatory and governmental advice is incorporated fully. 

It is important that people are protected correctly and depending on the environment and the potential exposure, the controls that should be implemented will differ. Equally, there is no need to use stringent controls if they are not necessary, especially when the demand for items such as Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) and gloves is so high. 

The COSHH assessments are therefore split into two types, the first is for those working in a clinical capacity where there is currently a higher risk of exposure to COVID-19. The second concentrating on the handling of professional or domestic waste that may contain contaminated material. This includes workers who may handle contaminated material such as bedding and food. 

For healthcare workers, the first assessment will be most useful. This outlines a level of control that should be implemented to minimise indirect and direct exposure to patients who are confirmed or suspected of having COVID-19. While the control levels differ depending on direct or indirect contact, following these instructions will help to reduce the chance of uncontrolled exposure as far as possible.

These controls include:

• Using the correct Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as disposable aprons, gloves, eyewear and respiratory protection with P3 particulate filters.
• Covering any cuts, decontamination and frequent incident reporting.

In managing the control of contaminated materials, the disposal of the objects is crucial, particularly as COVID-19 is highly infectious. Even when a lower level of control is adequate, it should still be strictly followed to avoid complication. 

For healthcare management staff that are obligated to enter high-risk areas, it is advised to keep skin covered using disposable overalls, impervious boots, nitrile gloves, a respirator with a particulate filter (P3 if possible) and goggles (grade 3), making sure to decontaminate any non-disposable equipment or tools after the job. 

“It is more important than ever to ensure that all staff have the right information and correct PPE in order to carry out their job.  Clinicians, engineers and cleaning staff all face significant risk from COVID-19 and we must limit this as much as possible. Providing the right information and resources is crucial in this,” says Helen Jones, Managing Director of Certification and Software Division at Alcumus.