Safety at Work 6 E Part 18 potx

The environment at large 995
methods even though the least damaging environmental choice was their
original proposal. One lesson of this event is that companies need to
consider the whole life cycle of their products and processes, including
their end-of-life treatment or disposal, rather than leaving this as an
afterthought.
5.5.5 Ethical investing and green procurement
Concepts such as ethical investments are likely to be low on the agenda
of senior management but in recent years there has been a flurry of
proposals, strategies, suggestions etc. that their investments should be
linked with responsible or ethical funds. The aims of these are, in theory,
to loan money or invest only in activities that are ethical. Non-ethical
activities typically include the use of child labour in emerging countries,
poor health and safety records or a history of environmental problems.
The Co-operative Bank is perhaps the best known large UK institution
that claims to embrace ethical investing. According to their policy
3
they
only put money into projects and companies that meet certain socially
responsible criteria. It is difficult to predict whether this is going to be the
usual approach in the future, or whether it is just appeasing Greenpeace
and Friends of the Earth. Even if ethical investing does increase in the
future, it may continue only if the world economy remains healthy. In
periods of recession when companies and even governments are faced
with economic survival, it will be tempting to simply maximise profits
and only meet legislative requirements.
In 2001 the FTSE4Good
4
index was launched internationally with the
aim of showing potential investors the most ethical companies based on
a range of criteria. There have been some criticisms of the basis of the

index and the presence or absence of certain companies. The criteria used
to compare companies on the index include:
᭹ working towards environmental sustainability;
᭹ developing positive relationships with stakeholders;
᭹ upholding and supporting universal human rights.
However limited the uptake at present, this is clearly a political initiative
that is unlikely to disappear. Their Internet site is being updated regularly
and extended to cover different parts of the world.
Many claims have been made that government purchasing depart-
ments should buy ‘green’ products or services under the concept ‘Green
Procurement’. This attempts to encourage industry and service providers
to consider the overall environmental impact of their products, processes,
activities etc. over their complete life cycle, i.e. the ‘cradle to grave’
concept or Life Cycle Assessment. In theory the benefit to organisations
following this approach is that they will have preferential treatment when
tendering for government contracts. However, government departments
have to operate within financial constraints that can predispose orders
being placed with those who undercut prices rather than those with
‘Green Products’.
996 Safety at Work
Life Cycle Assessment and Design for Environment principles are still
comparatively new concepts and can have widely variable and unpre-
dictable outcomes. In the competitive real world, few companies can
produce sufficient ‘environmentally-friendly’ products at a cost that
would sell in sufficient numbers to make them profitable or
sustainable.
Even so, there are proposals in the European Union (EU) to bring the
principles of Life Cycle Assessment and Design for Environment in for a
range of products. These proposals are currently being resisted by
industry as unworkable, although political trade-offs are likely to result

in some controlling legislation before 2010. Responsible companies are
beginning to incorporate these principles in their research into new
products. However, the incorporation of green issues into product design
is only practised if there is a potential market advantage.
In manufacturing operations protecting the environment is often a
win/win situation bringing reduced costs through reduced waste, using
less raw materials and reduced energy demand. Many attempts have
been made to persuade industry to adopt the recognised environmental
management systems of ISO 14000 and the Eco Management Audit
Scheme (EMAS) as a means of enhancing environmental performance.
This topic is dealt with in section 5.5.10.
5.5.6 Increasing environmental legislation, controls and
public reporting
Compared with health and safety legislation, effective environmental
controls are a relatively recent innovation. Most environmental legislation
has appeared over the past 30 years and although it seems to increase
each year, the focus appears to be changing. The trend is shifting from
monitoring and controlling at point sources of emissions and releases
towards reducing impacts at source by making changes to processes. This
doesn’t mean that controlling emissions will be abandoned. Recently the
EU adopted a Directive on Environmental Liability
5
that deals with
identifying those responsible for damaging the environment and holding
them accountable. With increasing accountability comes the need to
report. There are already mandatory reporting requirements in many
countries for certain regulated processes. For example, in the UK, a site
that operates a Part A Process under the 1990 Environmental Protection
Act has certain environmental data reporting obligations. In Ireland since
the mid-1990s certain sites have Integrated Pollution Prevention Control

Licences with extensive reporting obligations and this approach has been
widely adopted across the European Union.
Many large responsible organisations produce voluntary annual
environmental reports as part of their public relations policy. Some are
stand-alone environmental reports while others are integrated with a
health and safety report and presented as part of the company’s Annual
Report. There is pressure on government to put a legal obligation on
companies above a certain size to publish an annual environmental
report
6
.
The environment at large 997
5.5.7 End-of-pipe control
‘End-of-pipe’ controls are those schemes aimed at ameliorating, at the
point of emission, the worst effects of atmospheric pollution and were the
basis of most of the early environmental legislation which concentrated
on setting absolute emission limits in the pious hope that it would
maintain the status quo. With hindsight this approach was flawed since,
to reduce environmental damage emissions should be either eliminated
or reduced to as low as is technically possible. An example is the setting
of SOx emission limits on power stations. In the electricity industry, a
generating station could only meet these limits by either reducing output
or by putting scrubbers on the top of the emission stacks to absorb most
of the SOx. Problems then arose when there was pressure to increase
output resulting in exceeding the capacity of the scrubbers. In these
circumstances end-of-pipe controls were no longer sufficient. Even if
these moves were successful, there was little pressure to reduce the
consumption of oil or coal and thus the environmental impact associated
with their extraction. Another example is the reduction by incineration of
organic solvents to carbon dioxide and water with the aim of preventing

VOCs entering the atmosphere and creating smog. While smog may be
eliminated at ground level more carbon dioxide would be released to the
atmosphere and add to the Global Warming problem. This represents a
partial environmental gain at best.
The problem relates to setting limits that are absolute and are not
linked to production levels. Hence, a site could reduce its emissions,
discharges or waste per unit of production yet still exceed its legal limits
because its overall production had to be increased in an effort to remain
more profitable in a highly competitive world. Controls that set fixed
absolute limits do not lead to a culture embracing continuous
improvement.
If new technologies became available, the BATNEEC principle (best
available technology not entailing excessive cost) needs to be applied
when setting revised emission limits. It is important that economic factors
are considered when setting environmental limits. Unfortunately, with
the setting of absolute emission levels there is no real incentive for a
company to reduce impacts as far as possible because there is no reward
based on a sliding scale. On the contrary, the pressure is to maintain
operations at a level that just meets legal requirements. Ed Gallagher
(former Chief Executive of the UK Environmental Agency) lamented on
many occasions that some companies are only motivated to operate the
‘CATNAP’ principle (cheapest available technology neatly avoiding
prosecution)!
This attitude of industry is not surprising when there is no obvious
economic incentive to continuously reduce environmental impacts. The
issue of a statutory notice will only halt operations until emissions can be
brought down to agreed levels but will not result in any ongoing
improvements. If bringing emissions down to set levels results in the
operation no longer being viable it poses the dilemma of closing down
local businesses and putting local people out of work. Emission limits

also require recording to ensure that they are not being breached.
998 Safety at Work
Responsible site owners will monitor and record their levels of emission
to ensure they are operating within the agreed limits with enforcers
visiting premises only to check or validate the data. The costs of
monitoring are an on-cost on the product.
5.5.8 Polluter pays
Legislative arrangements vary from setting absolute limits to introducing
charges linked to the amount of environmental impact caused by
emissions. This latter arrangement is cost-based and gives a financial
incentive to companies to reduce their impacts on the environment.
Examples are the Water Industries Act 1991
7
and the Water Resources Act
1991
8
. The former relates to discharges to sewers of trade effluent where
the concern is to control the quality of the discharge to ensure it can be
accommodated by the sewage treatment works. It is enforced by the
water utility companies who make a charge depending on the type,
content and quantity of the discharge. This gives an incentive to
companies to improve the quality of their discharges. The water utility
companies decide which sites require consents and also have some
control on deciding what parameters to apply. Criteria in these consents
can be influenced by the limits imposed by the Environment Agency on
the water utility company itself. Monitoring data have to be obtained,
available and checked periodically at locations chosen by the water utility
company.
The Water Resources Act 1991 relates to water abstraction and to
discharges to controlled waters. It is administered by the Environment

Agency who apply stricter standards than those required under the Water
Services Act since the discharges are to natural water courses that have no
means of treatment. Usually the water utility companies have consents
from the Environmental Agency to discharge their treated effluent into
controlled waters.
Charges paid by the polluter are based on the ‘Mogden Formula’
9
which allows for suspended solids, concentration of certain components
such as ammonia, BOD (biological oxygen demand) and/or COD
(chemical oxygen demand), and volume discharged. There are also
‘standing charges’ which vary among the Water Service Companies. The
actual charge finally levied increases with the amount of polluting
material discharged and requiring treatment. The output from the
treatment works is a water stream that is usually discharged directly to
controlled waters and a solid residue that may be spread on land, treated
as solid waste for landfill disposal or burnt in an incinerator.
A Landfill Tax was introduced in the UK in the mid-1990s in the
attempt to encourage industry to reduce the amount of waste disposed of
by landfill burial. Reports suggested that landfill costs in the UK were far
too low and did not reflect the true cost of this treatment method. Other
countries such as The Netherlands had already banned landfill disposals.
By imposing a tax based on the weight and related to the hazardous
properties of the wastes, the intent was to encourage producers of waste
to reduce the amounts. This tax is a direct charge on a company’s profits
The environment at large 999
but the revenue from this tax can be ploughed back into environmental
improvement projects by providing grants to worthy causes. Critics of
this tax fall into two camps which claim, either that it is too low to make
any difference on industry’s practices of sending wastes to landfill or that
it is too high and so leads to an increase in ‘fly-tipping’ that actually has

a far more harmful impact on the environment. Whatever the issues of
landfill taxes, the problem is that many countries simply have less and
less landfill space for burying their wastes. The logical solution seems to
be to generate less waste in the first place.
5.5.9 Producer or shared responsibility
During the 1990s environmental laws were introduced into the European
Union that made those responsible for generating the adverse environ-
mental impacts also responsible for their treatment and control. Thus
there is or soon will be legislation on packaging waste, tyres, batteries,
end-of-life vehicles and electronic products, placed on the supplier of the
product. However, there is a major problem with this approach because
the key question becomes who is or who are the producer(s)? Is it just one
person or company that makes a product or provides a service? Do
distributors have a responsibility? Furthermore, do the general public or
the consumers and customers have an element of responsibility? It can be
argued that they contribute to any environmental damage by wanting the
products and/or services thereby creating the demand for the producer
to meet. In Europe much of the ‘Producer Responsibility’ legislation is
focused on the role of industry. An alternative approach could be to
consider shared responsibility where all those involved in the manu-
facture, supply and use of products have some role to play which should
relate to their part in producing the waste.
There is an example of a shared approach in the UK. The Producer
Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997
10
requires
each player to carry a certain percentage of the cost of collecting and
recycling the wastes. Companies have to obtain Packaging Recovery
Notes (PRNs) to cover their obligated packaging wastes. However,
companies having a turnover less than £2 million or handling less than 50

tonnes of packaging per year are exempt. It is interesting that of all the
European Union Member States only the UK has this ‘shared’ approach.
A possible explanation is that it has proved quite complex to implement
even though the format was agreed by a cross-section of UK industry. The
complexity arises because of the attempt to include all parties in sharing
the costs and prevent ‘free riders’. The problem faced in Europe is to
achieve an equitable balance between all the contributors within a
complex legal system.
The lawmakers, to justify the introduction of legislation, use the term
‘Producer Responsibility’. Without really involving all types of pro-
ducers, the responsibility normally focuses on industry. This approach,
however, tends to go beyond controlling traditional environmental
impacts and is starting to impinge on product design via Design for
Environment principles. There are some attempts in Europe to bring in
1000 Safety at Work
legislation that would control the actual design of products but these go
beyond current legislative requirements and, arguably, beyond what the
customer wants
11
.
5.5.10 Environmental management system (EMS) and
sustainable development
Environmental management became topical in the mid-1990s as an
addition to the suite of management quality systems. International
Standards such as ISO 14001
12
and the predominantly European Eco
Management Audit Scheme
13
became very popular and the number of

accredited sites grew rapidly. Some companies such as IBM announced in
1997 a single registration for their worldwide operations
14
. Other
companies like Eastman Kodak introduced a site-by-site programme over
several years until all their manufacturing sites were registered
15
.
There was some resistance at first to an imposed EMS as a result of
experience with the ISO 9000 Quality Standards
16
which had, in some
instances, become just a bureaucratic process. The benefit to a company of
following another standard were not widely appreciated, however, the
central concept of an EMS is that a company or site should identify the
environmental impact of its operations by carrying out an ‘aspects and
impacts analysis’. Subsequently it can rank these and thereby focus its
management programmes on those areas having the highest adverse
impact. Essential to achieving recognition under these schemes is that the
whole assessment process is repeated periodically. A continuous
improvement culture is thus generated. This emphasis on continuous
improvement was missing from the early ISO 9000 Quality Standards.
As companies began to introduce their EMS it became apparent that
protecting the environment need not be seen as an add-on cost but rather
as an opportunity to save money. For example reducing energy, using less
fuel, water, raw materials, producing less waste and introducing vehicle
route optimisation all lead to environmental protection and improved
business performance. This is a win-win situation. Hence in some
organisations it became relatively easy to convince senior managers of the
benefits of having an EMS. Because of the similarity in the structure of

quality and environmental management systems there was also a great
opportunity to merge the two. Batts in his book
17
explains in practical
terms how to implement an environment management system to meet
the requirements of ISO 14001.
Environmental management has moved on to embrace the concept of
Sustainable Development. The 1987 World Commission on Environment/
Development under the guidance of Gro Harlem Brundtland (Prime
Minister of Norway) made Sustainable Development the theme of its
entire report called ‘Our Common Future’
18
. It defined Sustainable
Development as ‘development that meets the needs of the present
generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet
their own needs’. In the UK in the mid-1990s the Department of Trade and
Industry (DTI) modified the definition to ‘development which ensures a
better quality of life for everyone, now and for generations to come’.
The environment at large 1001
The basic concept of Sustainable Development is that the Earth does
not have infinite resources of all the raw materials that are consumed by
people around the world during their lives. However, it also recognises
that economic success is also important and that in theory there is no
reason why the human race cannot co-exist with its environment without
damaging it irrevocably. Sustainable Development says there is nothing
wrong with making money by economic activity as long as the well-being
of the environment is a factor in that economic success. An obvious
example is sustainable forests supplying wood and pulp where trees are
continuously planted to replace those cut down. Finland for example
plants three trees for every one cut.

In fact it is not surprising that most of the ‘wealthy’ or developed
countries around the world have good environmental records because
they can afford to treat the environment with respect. There are of course
some exceptions. The key is to move from situations where the Earth’s
resources are plundered for a quick profit to one where the long-term
effect of human activity on the planet is considered.
Sustainable Development is at the centre of the 6th European Union
Environmental Impact Strategy Action Plan as outlined in a keynote
speech by Peter Johnston of the Information Society DG
19
. It notes that
Sustainable Development does not really focus enough on end-products
observing that the rapid development of global communications ‘short-
ens the timetable for progress on sustainable development and offers a
potential ‘win-win’ alternative to the traditional trade-off between
growth and environmental sustainability’. The Action Plan demonstrates
that real improvements can be made. It cites IBM as having achieved a 4%
per year improvement in its use of energy corporately in its manufactur-
ing sites. The report states that many of the improvements needed to
reach Sustainable Development have come from the service sector.
International conferences such as the ‘Rio+10’ conference in South
Africa
20
seek solutions to these difficult issues. It is predominantly a
challenge to the ‘rich nations’ that have not always been as responsible as
they might have been. It has recently become apparent that certain
European countries plus the USA tried to block environmental agree-
ments at the 1972 Stockholm Conference for economic reasons
21
. Even

today problems of balancing sustainable development issues remain and
some countries will always place economic factors above environmental
issues
22
.
But it is not all bad news. Good examples can be found in global
industries and small companies. The 2001 Queen’s Award for Sustainable
Development recognises large companies such as Kodak Limited and
smaller ones for their environmental responsibility
23
.
5.5.11 Corporate social responsibility
Sustainable Development links environmental protection with economic
prosperity and this link is being extended into Corporate Social
Responsibility to include moral and ethical issues. This is sometimes
called ‘triple bottom line reporting’ and means that more and more is
1002 Safety at Work
expected of large organisations to conduct their business according to
certain principles. This direction brings more accountability to report
different performances against certain criteria. The European Commis-
sion published a Green Paper ‘Promoting a European Framework for
Corporate Social Responsibility’
24
. Some forward thinking companies
and organisations already consider Corporate Social Responsibility to be
an investment for the future, rather than a cost, in the same way that
protecting the environment can also be good business. The underlying
principle of Corporate Social Responsibility outlined in the Green Paper
is the ‘triple bottom line’ concept. The term ‘triple’ is used to merge
economic, social and environmental issues into management strategies to

create a better business. The European Commission believes that by
adopting this strategy, businesses can contribute to the strategic European
Union goal decided at the Lisbon Summit
25
. This goal is ‘to become the
most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world,
capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and
greater social cohesion’.
It is hoped that the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility will lead
business beyond conventional legal requirements to a greater responsibil-
ity that matches the expectations and interests of their stakeholders.
These stakeholders include employees, shareholders, suppliers, cus-
tomers, local authorities, non governmental organisations, and local
communities. Together they are providing the pressures that are shaping
the political climate. The first steps along a tortuous road have been
taken. The pace will increase with implications to all professionals who
have a role to play in protecting the environment.
References
1. Meadows, D., The Limits to Growth, Report to the Club of Rome and the United Nations
Conference on the Human Environment, Stockholm (1972)
2. Fellenberg, G., The Chemistry of Pollution, J Wiley & Sons, New York (2000), ISBN
0471613916
3. The Co-operative Bank plc, Ethical Investment Policy, The Co-operative Bank plc,
Skelmersdale (2001)
4. The Financial Times, Internet Site www.ftse4good.com, The Financial Times, London
(2001)
5. European Union, White Paper COM92000/66, On Environmental Liability, EU,
Luxembourg (2000). It can be downloaded from europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en
6. Meacher, M., UK Environment Minister reported in Industrial Environmental Management
December (1998)

7. The Water Industries Act 1991, The Stationery Office, London (1991)
8. The Water Resources Act 1991, The Stationery Office, London (1991)
9. The British Photographic Association, The Mogden Formula: A Code of Practice for the
Photoprocessing Industry for the Care of the Environment. The British Photographic
Association now the Photo Imaging Council (PIC), Caterham (1997)
10. The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997, The Stationery
Office, London (1997)
11. European Union, Proposal for a Draft Directive on the impact on the environment of electrical
and electronic equipment (EEE), EU, Luxembourg (2000)
12. British Standards Institution, BS ISO 14001, Environmental Management Systems.
Specifications for guidance for use, BSI, London (1996)
The environment at large 1003
13. European Union, Regulation (EC) No: 761/2001, Allowing voluntary participation by
organisations in a Community eco-management audit scheme (EMAS), published in the
Official Journal L114 dated 24 April 2001, EU, Luxembourg (2001)
14. IBM, IBM and the Environment, Progress Report, IBM, New York (1997). See also
www.ibm.com/ibm/environment
15. Eastman Kodak, Press Release: Kodak Reaches Goal: All 28 facilities worldwide now certified
to ISO 14001, Eastman Kodak, Rochester, US (January 2002)
16. British Standards Institution, BS ISO 9000, Quality management systems. Fundamentals and
Vocabulary, BSI, London (2000)
17. Batts, G., An Essential Guide to ISO 14001, Chandos Publishing, Oxford (1999), ISBN
1 902375 30 0
18. Brundtland, Gro Harlem, Our Common Future, World Commission on Environment and
Development, Oxford University Press, Oxford (1987)
19. Johnston, P., h:/C1/Johnston/Speeches/Amsterdam IT for EH&S June 2001 (7–8 June
2001), The Knowledge Economy Can We Have Growth, More and Better Jobs and Sustainable
Development?
20. Rio-declaration signatory countries committed themselves, at the 19th Special Session of
the United Nations’ General Assembly (1997), to draw up strategies for sustainable

development for the 2002 World Summit on sustainable development
21. Hammer, M., Filthy rich, New Scientist, No: 2324, p. 7, 5 January 2002
22. EC Conference, Brussels 27&28/11/2001 accessible from

23. UK Government, Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Sustainable Development, The Stationery
Office, London accessible from www.queensawards.org.uk or www.dti.gov.uk
24. European Union, COM(2001) 366; Promoting a European framework for Corporate Social
Responsibility, EU, Luxembourg (2001). This document is downloadable from
/>25. European Union Member State Summit in Lisbon, Portugal (2000)

1005
Appendices
1 The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health 1007
2 Reading for Part 1 of the NEBOSH Diploma examination 1008
3 List of abbreviations 1009
4 Organisations providing safety information 1015
5 List of Statutes, Regulations and Orders 1017
6 List of Cases 1025

1007
Appendix 1
The Institution of Occupational
Safety and Health
The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) is the leading
professional body in the United Kingdom concerned with matters of
workplace safety and health. Its growth in recent years reflects the
increasing importance attached by employers to safety and health for all
at work and for those affected by work activities. The Institution provides
a focal point for practitioners in the setting of professional standards,
their career development and for the exchange of technical experiences,

opinions and views.
Increasingly employers are demanding a high level of professional
competence in their safety and health advisers, calling for them to hold
recognised qualifications and have a wide range of technical expertise.
These are evidenced by Corporate Membership of the Institution for
which proof of a satisfactory level of academic knowledge of the subject
reinforced by a number of years of practical experience in the field is
required.
Recognised academic qualifications are an accredited degree in
occupational safety and health or the Diploma Part 2 in Occupational
Safety and Health issued by the National Examination Board in
Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH). For those assisting highly
qualified OSH professionals, or dealing with routine matters in low risk
sectors, a Technician Safety Practitioner (SP) qualification may be
appropriate. For this, the NEBOSH Diploma Part 1 would be an
appropriate qualification.
Further details of membership may be obtained from the Institution.
1008
Appendix 2
Reading for Part I of the
NEBOSH Diploma examination
The following is suggested as reading matter relevant to Part 1 of the NEBOSH
Diploma examination. It should be complemented by other study.
Module 1A: The management of
risk
Chapters 9–all
10–paras. 8–11
11–all
12–paras. 1–3
22–paras. 1–6

29–para. 11
Module 1B: Legal and organisational
factors
Chapters 1–all
2–all
3–paras. 1–6
7–para. 2
8–all
10–paras. 13 and 14
14–paras. 1–4
Module 1C: The workplace Chapters 7–para. 2
20–all
21–all
24–all
26–paras. 1–8
28–paras. 2 and 4
29–paras. 1, 2, 7 and 11
Module 1D: Work equipment Chapters 25–all
26–all
27–all
Module 1E: Agents Chapters 15–all
16–all
17–all
19–paras. 1–6
20–all
22–paras. 4–7
29–paras. 1–4
Module 1CS: Common skills Chapter 12–para. 7
Additional information in summary form is available in Health and Safety . . . in
brief by John Ridley published by Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford (1998).

1009
Appendix 3
List of abbreviations
ABI Association of British Insurers
AC Appeal Court
ac Alternating current
ACAS Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service
ACGIH American Conference of Governmental Industrial
Hygienists
ACoP Approved Code of Practice
ACTS Advisory Committee on Toxic Substances
ADS Approved dosimetry service
AFFF Aqueous film forming foam
AIDS Acquired immune deficiency syndrome
ALA Amino laevulinic acid
All ER All England Law Reports
APAU Accident Prevention Advisory Unit
APC Air pollution control
BATNEEC Best available technique not entailing excessive costs
BLEVE Boiling liquid expanding vapour explosion
BOD Biological oxygen demand
BPEO Best practicable environmental option
Bq Becquerel
BS British standard
BSE Bovine spongiform encephalopathy
BSI British Standards Institution
CAW Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002
CBI Confederation of British Industries
cd Candela
CD Consultative document

CDG The Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road Regulations
1996
CDG-CPL The Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (Classification,
Packaging and Labelling) and Use of Transportable Pres-
sure Receptacle Regulations 1996
CDM The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations
1994
CEC Commission of the European Communities
1010 Appendices
CEN European Committee for Standardisation of mechanical
items
CENELEC European Committee for Standardisation of electrical
items
CET Corrected effective temperature
CFC Chlorofluorocarbons
CHASE Complete Health and Safety Evaluation
CHAZOP Computerised hazard and operability study
CHIP 2 The Chemical (Hazard Information and Packaging for
Supply) Regulations 1994
Ci Curie
CIA Chemical Industries Association
CISBE The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers
CLAW Control of Lead at Work Regulations 2002
CIMAH The Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazards Regula-
tions 1984
CJD Creutzfeldt–Jacob disease
COD Chemical oxygen demand
COMAH The Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations
1999
COREPER Committee of Permanent Representatives (to the EU)

COSHH The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations
2002
CPA Consumer Protection Act 1987
CTD Cumulative trauma disorder
CTE Centre tapped to earth (of 110 V electrical supply)
CWC Chemical Weapons Convention
dB Decibel
dBA ‘A’ weighted decibel
dc Direct current
DEFRA Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
DG Directorate General
DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid
DO Dangerous occurrence
DSEAR Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regula-
tions 2002
DSE(R) The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regula-
tions 1992
DSS Department of Social Services
DTI Department of Trade and Industry
EA Environment Agency
EAT Employment Appeals Tribunal
ECJ European Courts of Justice
EC European Community
EEA European Economic Association
EEC European Economic Community
EcoSoC Economic and Social Committee
EHRR European Human Rights Report
List of abbreviations 1011
EINECS European inventory of existing commercial chemical
substances

ELF Extremely low frequency
ELINCS European list of notified chemical substances
EMAS Employment Medical Advisory Service, also (European)
Eco-Management and Audit System
EN European normalised standard
EP European Parliament
EPA Environmental Protection Act 1990
ERA Employment Rights Act 1996
ESR Essential safety requirement
EU European Union
eV Electronvolt
EWA The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989
FA Factories Act 1961
FAFR Fatal accident frequency rate
FMEA Failure modes and effects analysis
FPA Fire Precautions Act 1971
FP(W) Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997
FSLCM Functional safety life cycle management
FTA Fault tree analysis
GEMS Generic error modelling system
Gy Gray
HAVS Hand-arm vibration syndrome
HAZAN Hazard analysis study
HAZCHEM Hazardous chemical warning signs
HAZOP Hazard and operability study
HELA HSE/Local Authority Enforcement Liaison Committee
hfl Highly flammable liquid
HIV+ve Human immune deficiency virus positive
HL House of Lords
HSC The Health and Safety Commission

HSE The Health and Safety Executive
HSI Heat stress index
HSW The Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974
Hz Hertz
IAC Industry Advisory Committee
IB Incapacity Benefit
IBC Intermediate bulk container
ICC International Criminal Court
ICRP International Commission on Radiological Protection
IEC International Electrotechnical Committee (International
electrical standards)
IEE Institution of Electrical Engineers
IOSH Institution of Occupational Safety and Health
IPC Integrated pollution control
1012 Appendices
IQ Intelligence quotient
IRLR Industrial relations law report
ISO International Standards Organisation (mechanical
standards)
ISRS International Safety Rating System
JHA Job hazard analysis
JP Justice of the Peace
JSA Job Safety Analysis
KB King’s Bench
KISS Keep it short and simple
LA Local Authority
LEL Lower explosive limit
L
EP.d
Daily personal noise exposure

LEV Local exhaust ventilation
LJ Lord Justice
LOLER Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations
1998
LPC Loss Prevention Council
LPG Liquefied petroleum gas
LR Lifts Regulations 1997
lv/hv Low volume high velocity (extract system)
mcb Miniature circuit breaker
MEL Maximum exposure limit
MHOR The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992
MHSW The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations
1992
MOSAR Method organised for systematic analysis of risk
MPL Maximum potential loss
M.R. Master of the Rolls
NC Noise criteria (curves)
NDT Non-destructive testing
NEBOSH National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and
Health
NI Northern Ireland Law Report
NIHH The Notification of Installations Handling Hazardous Sub-
stances Regulations 1982
NIJB Northern Ireland Judgements Bulletin (Bluebook)
NLJ Northern Ireland Legal Journal
NONS The Notification of New Substances Regulations 1993
npf Nominal protection factor
NR Noise rating (curves)
NRPB National Radiological Protection Board
NZLR New Zealand Law Report

List of abbreviations 1013
OJ Official journal of the European Community
OECD Organisation for Economic Development and Co-
operation
OES Occupational exposure standard
OFT Office of Fair Trading
OR Operational research
P4SR Predicted 4 hour sweat rate
Pa Pascal
PAT Portable appliance test
PC Personal computer
PCB Polychlorinated biphenyl
PER Pressure Equipment Regulations 1999
PHA Preliminary hazard analysis
PMNL Polymorphonuclear leukocyte
PPE Personal protective equipment
ppm Parts per million
PSSR Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000
ptfe Polytetrafluoroethylene
PTW Permit to work
PUWER The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations
1992
PVC Polyvinyl chloride
QA Quality assurance
QB Queen’s Bench
QMV Qualifies majority voting
QUENSH Quality, environment, safety and health management
systems
r. A clause or regulations of a Regulation
RAD Reactive airways dysfunction

RCD Residual current device
RF Radio frequency
RGN Registered general nurse
RIDDOR The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occur-
rences Regulations 1995
RM Resident magistrate
RoSPA Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents
RPA Radiation protection adviser
RPE Respiratory protective equipment
RPS Radiation protection supervisor
RR Risk rating
RRP Recommended retail price
RSI Repetitive strain injury
s. Clause or section of an Act
SAFed Safety Assessment Federation
SC Sessions case (in Scotland)
Sen Sensitiser
1014 Appendices
SEN State enrolled nurse
SIESO Society of Industrial Emergency Services Officers
Sk Skin (absorption of hazardous substances)
SLT Scottish Law Times
SMSR The Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 1992
SPL Sound pressure level
SRI Sound reduction index
SRN State registered nurse
SRSC The Safety Representatives and Safety Committee Regula-
tions 1977
SSP Statutory sick pay
Sv Sievert

SWL Safe working load
SWORD Surveillance of work related respiratory diseases
TEU Treaty of European Union 1991
TLV Threshold Limit Value
TSS Toxic shock syndrome
TUC Trades Union Congress
TWA Time Weighted Average
UEL Upper explosive limit
UGR Unified glare rating system
UK United Kingdom
UKAEA United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
UKAS United Kingdom Accreditation Service
v. versus
VAT Value added tax
VCM Vinyl chloride monomer
vdt Visual display terminal
VWF Vibration white finger
WATCH Working Group on the Assessment of Toxic Chemicals
WBGT Wet bulb globe temperature
WDA Waste Disposal Authority
WHSWR The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations
1992
WLL Working load limit
WLR Weekly Law Report
WRULD Work related upper limb disorder
ZPP Zinc protoporphyrin
1015
Appendix 4
Organisations providing safety
information

Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, The Grange, Highfield
Drive, Wigston, Leicester LE18 1NN 0116 257 3100
National Examination Board in Occupation Safety and Health, NEBOSH,
Dominus Way, Meridian Business Park, Leicester LE3 2QW 0116 263
4700
Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, Edgbaston Park, 353 Bristol
Road, Birmingham B5 7ST 0121 248 2222
Employment National Training Organisation, Kimberley House, 47
Vaughan Way, Leicester LE1 4SG 011 6251 7979
British Standards Institution, 389 Chiswick High Road, London W4 4AL
020 8996 9000
Health and Safety Commission, Rose Court, 2 Southwark Bridge, London
SE1 9HF 020 7717 6000
Health and Safety Executive, Enquiry Point, Magnum House, Stanley
Precinct, Trinity Road, Bootle, Liverpool L20 3QY 0151 951 4000 or any
local offices of the HSE
HSE Books, PO Box 1999, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 6FS 01787 881165
Employment Medical Advisory Service, at local HSE Area office
Institution of Fire Engineers, 148 New Walk, Leicester LE1 7QB 0116 255
3654
Medical Commission on Accident Prevention, 35–43 Lincolns Inn Fields,
London WC2A 3PN 0171 242 3176
The Asbestos Information Centre Ltd, PO Box 69, Widnes, Cheshire WA8
9GW 0151 420 5866
Chemical Industry Association, King’s Building, Smith Square, London
SW1P 3JJ 020 7834 3399
School of Industrial and Manufacturing Sciences, Cranfield University,
Cranfield, Bedford MK43 0AL 01234 750111
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 5600 Fishers Lane,
Rockville, Maryland, 20852, USA

1016 Appendices
Noise Abatement Society, Chalkhurst, Upper Austin Lodge Road,
Eynsford, Dartford, Kent DA4 0HT
Home Office, 50 Queen Anne’s Gate, London SW1A 9AT 0171 273 4000
Fire Services Inspectorate, Horseferry House, Dean Ryle Street, London
SW1P 2AW 0171 217 8728
Department of Trade and Industry: all Departments on 020 7215 5000
Consumer Safety Unit, General Product Safety: 1 Victoria Street,
London SW1H 0ET
Gas and Electrical Appliances: 151 Buckingham Palace Road, London
SW1W 9SS
Manufacturing Technology Division, 151 Buckingham Palace Road,
London SW1W 9SS
Department of Transport
Road and Vehicle Safety Directorate, Great Minster House, 76 Marsham
Street, London SW1P 4DR 0171 271 5000
Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS), Brandon House,
180 Borough High Street, London SE1 1LW 020 7210 3613
National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB), Chilton, Didcot, Oxford-
shire OX11 0RQ 01235 831600
Northern Ireland Office
Health and Safety Inspectorate, 83 Ladas Drive, Belfast BT6 9FJ 028
9024 3249
Agriculture Health and Safety, 14 Fairhill Road, Cookstown 028 8676
7874
Employment Medical Advisory Service, Royston House, 34 Upper
Queen Street, Belfast BT1 6FX 01232 233045 ext: 58
Commission of the European Communities, 2 Queen Anne’s Gate,
London SW1H 9AA 020 7227 4300
British Safety Council, National Safety Centre, 70 Chancellor’s Road,

London W6 9RS 020 7741 1231
Confederation of British Industry, Centre Point, 103 New Oxford Street,
London WC1A 1DU 020 7379 7400
Safety Assessment Federation (SAFed), Nutmeg House, 60 Gainsford
Street, Butler’s Wharf, London SE1 2NY 020 7403 0987
Railway Inspectorate, Rose Court, 2 Southwark Bridge, London SE1 9HS
020 7717 6000
Pollution: local office of the Environmental Agency
1017
Appendix 5
List of Statutes, Regulations and
Orders
Abrasive Wheels Regulations 1970, 145
Activity Centres (Young Persons Safety) Act 1995, 63
Administration of Justice Act 1982, 169, 170
Asbestos (Licensing) Regulations 1983 and 1998, 846
Asbestos (Prohibitions) Regulations 1992 and 1999, 846
Boiler Explosions Act 1882, 793
Building Act 1984, 58
Building Regulations 1991, 719
Building (Scotland) Act 1995, 810
Building Standards (Scotland) Regulations 1990, 716
Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road Regulations 1996 (CDG), 862,
871, 872
Carriage of Dangerous Goods (Classification, Packaging and Labelling)
and Use of Transportable Pressure Receptacles Regulations 1996
(CDG-CPL), 760–3
Chemical Weapons Act 1996, 851
Chemicals (Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply) Regulations
2002 (CHIP 3), 851, 862, 864, 960

Cinematograph (Safety) Regulations 1955, 810
Civil Evidence Act 1968, 21
Civil Liability (Contribution) Act 1978, 167
Classification, Packaging and Labelling of Dangerous Substances
Regulations 1984, 862–5
Clean Air Acts, 61
Companies Act 1967, 58
Confined Spaces Regulations 1997, 832–3
Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 1994, 820
Construction (Head Protection) Regulations 1989, 843, 859
Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996, 164, 822,
823–9, 841–2, 843–4
1018 Appendices
Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999, 92, 119
Consumer Credit Act 1974, 123, 126, 127
Consumer Credit (Advertisements) Regulations 1989, 126
Consumer Credit (Total Charge for Credit) Regulations 1980, 126
Consumer Protection Act 1987, 42, 93, 119, 123–5, 128, 130–1, 132–4,
151, 162, 196
Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000, 119, 138
Consumer Transactions (Restrictions on Statements) Order 1976, 136
Contaminated Land (England) Regulations (2000), 897
Contract of Employment Act 1963, 88
Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999, 84
Control of Asbestos in the Air Regulations 1990, 847
Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002, 809, 859
Control of Asbestos at Work (Amendment) Regulations 1992, 847
Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazard Regulations 1984
(CIMAH), 860, 861, 862
Control of Lead at Work Regulations 2002, 89, 809, 859

Control of Major Accident Hazard Regulations 1999 (COMAH), 860,
861, 862, 867, 887
Control of Misleading Advertisements Regulations 1988, 119, 134, 135
Control of Misleading Advertisements (Amendment) Regulations 2000,
119, 135
Control of Pollution Act 1974, 51, 150, 196, 554, 921
Control of Pollution (Amendment) Act 1989, 922
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1988
(COSHH), 82
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002
(COSHH), 44, 89, 182, 188, 196, 506, 507, 510, 511, 574, 575, 577,
795, 808–10, 850, 853, 856, 859, 863, 865–7, 886
Controlled Waste (Registration of Carriers and Seizure of Vehicles)
Regulations 1991 and amendment 1998, 922, 939
Controlled Waste Regulations 1992, 925
Courts and Legal Services Act 1990, 8, 24
Criminal Courts Act 1973, 125
Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002,
195
Dangerous Substances (Notification and Marking of Sites) Regulations
1990, 887
Data Protection Act, 303
Deposit of Poisonous Waste Act 1972, 921
Disability Discrimination Act 1995, 96, 101–2, 610, 613
Disability Discrimination (Employment) Regulations 1996, 102
Diving at Work Regulations 1997, 834
EEC/EU Directives:
dangerous substances discharged into the aquatic environment, 969
eco-management and audit scheme (EMAS), EU, Luxembourg (2002),
908–10, 919

List of Statutes, Regulations and Orders 1019
environmental liability, 996
general product safety directive, 129, 130
machinery directive, 75, 728, 801
pressure equipment, 760–3
product liability, 151
protection of young people at work, 103
safety signs directive, 702
waste within, into and out of the European Community, 942
work equipment directive, 728
workplace directive, 146
Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 (EAW), 734, 772–80, 781–2, 785–6,
786–8, 790–1, 795, 810, 811, 829
Employer’s Liability Act 1880, 141
Employer’s Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969, 81, 144
Employer’s Liability (Compulsory Insurance) General Regulations
1972, 144
Employer’s Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1998, 144
Employer’s Liability (Defective Equipment) Act 1969, 156, 164, 165
Employment Act 1989, 89
Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978, 96
Employment Relations Act 1999, 106
Employment Rights Act 1996 (ERA), 88–9, 96, 97–8, 105, 107–8, 109,
113, 115, 116
Employment Rights Dispute Resolutions Act 1998, 104
Environment Act 1995, 62, 922, 923, 957
Environment and Safety Information Act 1988, 716
Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA), 61–2, 150, 196, 921–2, 925,
930, 952, 957–62, 964, 996
Environmental Protection (Duty of Care) Regulations 1991, 930, 975,

977
Environmental Protection (Prescribed Processes and Substances)
Regulations 1991, 958, 970
Equal Pay Act 1970, 89, 96, 102
Equal Pay (Amendment) Regulations 1983, 89
European Council, Framework Directive 1989, 104
Explosives Act 1875, 61
Factories Act 1833, 422
Factories Act 1846, 141
Factories Act 1937, 37
Factories Act 1961, 37, 59, 145, 146, 843
Factories and Workshops Act 1901, 794
Fatal Accidents Act 1976, 154, 170
Finance Act 1996, 922
Fire Certificates (Special Premises) Regulations 1976, 843–5
Fire Certificates (Special Premises) Regulations 1996, 715
Fire Precautions Act 1971 (FPA), 55, 58, 59–61, 195, 702, 713
Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997, (FP(W)), 42, 195, 611,
702, 715, 716, 720
Fire Safety and Safety of Places of Sport Act 1987, 60