UKCPI > Professional Cleaning > Regulations

Summaries of relevant regulations

Below is a non-exhaustive list with links to legislation relevant to cleaning product manufacturers. The duty holder is responsible for ensuring compliance with all relevant legislation.

Industry Legislation

Industry’s safety culture

Cleaning products are used by billions of people, every day, and most of them go down the drain after use. So manufacturers regard safety for people and safety for environment as their top priority. The law requires products to be safe for people to use, provided they are used correctly and according to the instructions. If a product is found to be unsafe, manufacturers must take it off the market.

To back up the safety culture that’s at the heart of everything our industry does, there’s a long list of regulations to assure human and environmental safety at every stage of the life cycle.

Additional legislation

Other regulations which are useful in the professional cleaning and hygiene sector can be found below. This list is illustrative not exhaustive.

Health & Safety at Work Act 1974

The Health & Safety at Work Act (commonly referred to as HSWA) is the primary legislation for occupational health and safety. It sets out the duties to:

Secure the health and safety of employees
Protection of others from risks arising from the activities of others at work
Controlling the keeping and use of dangerous chemicals (including flammables and explosives)
Control of emissions from the activities

Further information can be found at:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/legislation/hswa.htm

Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013

RIDDOR is the leislation the setes up the duties of employers to report serious accidents, near misses or occupational diseases. Examples of accidents that shhould be reported are:

fractures, other than to fingers, thumbs and toes
amputations
any injury likely to lead to permanent loss of sight or reduction in sight
any crush injury to the head or torso causing damage to the brain or internal organs
serious burns (including scalding) which:
- covers more than 10% of the body
- causes significant damage to the eyes, respiratory system or other vital organs
any scalping requiring hospital treatment
any loss of consciousness caused by head injury or asphyxia
any other injury arising from working in an enclosed space which:
- leads to hypothermia or heat-induced illness
- requires resuscitation or admittance to hospital for more than 24 hours

Further information can be found at:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/riddor/index.htm

Control of Major Acccident Hazard Regulations

Control of Major Accident Hazard, CoMAH, regulations are in place to ensure business take all necessary measures to prevent major accidents involving dangerous substances and limit the consequences to people and the environment of any major accidents which do occur.

These regulations mainly apply to the chemical industry but also include certain storage facilities and other site where dangerous chemical are stored or used.

To see if these regulations apply to you site go to:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/comah/index.htm

Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (CoSHH) Regulations is the law that requires employers to control substances that are hazardous to health. You can prevent or reduce workers exposure to hazardous substances by:

finding out what the health hazards are;
deciding how to prevent harm to health (risk assessment);
providing control measures to reduce harm to health;
making sure they are used ;
keeping all control measures in good working order;
providing information, instruction and training for employees and others;
providing monitoring and health surveillance in appropriate cases;
planning for emergencies.

Most businesses use substances, or products that are mixtures of substances. Some processes create substances. These could cause harm to employees, contractors and other people.

More information and guidance is available from the HSE website:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/index.htm

Workplace exposure limits

As well as controlling exposure to substances hazardous to health, you need to be aware that legal limits have been set on the amounts of many of the substances that can be present in workplace air. These are known as workplace exposure limits (WELs). They can be found in Section 8 of a Safety Data Sheet and are listed in HSE’s booklet EH40 Workplace Exposure Limits which can be found at:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/eh40.pdf

If the substance is known to cause cancer or asthma (check the label/safety data sheet), you must control exposure to as far below the level as is reasonably practicable.

The storage of flammable liquids in containers

Guidance on control measures to adopt and particularly the steps to take concerning the dangers of fire and explosion, although some general advice is given on health risks where helpful. Applies to all locations – new or existing – whether open air or specifically designed buildings, rooms or cabinets.

Addressed to those directly responsible for safe storage and handling of flammable liquids in containers in all general work activities, whether it be small quantities within a workroom, large drum procedures or operations within distribution areas at manufacturer or supplier premises. With illustrations, labelled diagrams, cross sections and a breakdown of legal requirements.

Link to the guidance: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/hsg51.pdf

Regulations