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On 3rd August 2020, the European Union announced that all industrial and professional users of diisocyanates must receive diisocyanates training by 24th August 2023. This requirement was later retained in British law under GB Retained: Regulation (EC) 1907/2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH). The Compliance People Consultant Katie Pritchard looks at this important change.
Diisocyanates are commonly used in coatings, adhesives, foams and sealants and are restricted under Annex XVII (‘the Restriction list’) of REACH.
Diisocyanates are considered harmful to human health and are classed as respiratory and skin sensitisers and potential human carcinogens. Exposure can also cause occupational asthma and irritation of the eyes, nose, throat and skin.
From 24th August 2023, all industrial and professional users of diisocyanates must receive general training on the safe use of diisocyanates.
This training must be repeated every 5 years and training records must be retained.
General training must cover:
Certain users of diisocyanates must also receive intermediate and advanced training.
Intermediate training is required for users who:
Advanced training is required for users who:
All industrial and professional users of diisocyanates must receive general training on the safe use of diisocyanates by 24th August 2023. This training must be repeated every 5 years and training records must be retained.
Certain users of diisocyanates may also be required to receive intermediate or advanced training.
If you need more help, why not get in touch with us? – Our professional team of consultants offer independent, periodic compliance evaluations and support for both environment and health & safety.
Are you struggling to understand the requirements of the environmental aspects clause in ISO 14001:2015?
Created for anyone who needs to know more about environmental aspects, this course has been designed to take you through building an environmental aspects register for your organisation from start to finish. (Even if you already have a register, you will pick up some tips to improve and refresh your current register.)
We’ve now added the following new dates:
Date | Time | |
Module 1 | 27.04.2023 (Last chance) | 09.30 – 12.30 |
Module 2 | 28.04.2023 (Last chance) | 09.30 – 12.30 |
Module 1 | 13.06.2023 | 09.30 – 12.30 |
Module 2 | 14.06.2023 | 09.30 – 12.30 |
Are you fully compliant with the requirements of waste duty of care at your organisation? Could you benefit from assistance in making sure you understand all the requirements and how they apply to you?
We see issues regarding waste at almost every site we carry out environmental legal compliance audits for – whether it’s to do with the storage of waste or making sure all the relevant waste documentation is in place and correct. It’s also a topic we find ISO 14001 certification auditors love to dig into!
Our duty of care course looks at the detailed requirements of waste duty of care for those who produce waste at their organisation.
We’ve now added the following new dates:
Date | Time | |
Module 1 | 27.06.2023 | 09.30 – 12.30 |
Module 2 | 28.06.2023 | 09.30 – 12.30 |
Are you fully compliant with the requirements of waste duty of care at your organisation? Or maybe you’re struggling to understand the requirements of the environmental aspects clause in ISO 14001:2015? Find out more about our training courses.
Are you fully compliant with the requirements of waste duty of care at your organisation? Could you benefit from assistance in making sure you understand all the requirements and how they apply to you?
We see issues regarding waste at almost every site we carry out environmental legal compliance audits for – whether it’s to do with the storage of waste or making sure all the relevant waste documentation is in place and correct. It’s also a topic we find ISO 14001 certification auditors love to dig into!
Our duty of care course looks at the detailed requirements of waste duty of care for those who produce waste at their organisation.
We’ve now added the following new dates:
Date | Time | |
Module 1 | 25.01.2023 | 09.30 – 12.30 |
Module 2 | 26.01.2023 | 09.30 – 12.30 |
Module 1 | 14.03.2023 | 09.30 – 12.30 |
Module 2 | 14.03.2023 | 09.30 – 12.30 |
Are you struggling to understand the requirements of the environmental aspects clause in ISO 14001:2015?
Created for anyone who needs to know more about environmental aspects, this course has been designed to take you through building an environmental aspects register for your organisation from start to finish. (Even if you already have a register, you will pick up some tips to improve and refresh your current register.)
We’ve now added the following new dates:
Date | Time | |
Module 1 | 27.02.2023 | 09.30 – 12.30 |
Module 2 | 28.02.2023 | 09.30 – 12.30 |
Want to understand how your business interacts with the environment and more importantly how you can mitigate those impacts? We’ve created an Environmental Awareness course to help answer all these questions.
Created to provide all roles within your organisation with a fundamental level of environmental awareness, this course is designed to provide a basic understanding of the key environmental impacts relevant to UK businesses. As well as this, the course supports attendees to reflect on how these issues apply to their organisation, and how they can be managed.
This is a half-day course, which will answer the following questions:
The course is designed to be delivered remotely so that it can be easily fitted into your busy schedule.
We see issues regarding waste at almost every site we carry out environmental legal compliance audits for – whether it’s to do with the storage of waste or making sure all the relevant waste documentation is in place and correct. It’s also a topic we find ISO 14001 certification auditors love to dig into! This course looks at the detailed requirements of waste duty of care for those who produce waste at their organisation.
This course is designed to be delivered remotely to fit in with your busy schedule. It’s split into two modules which will be delivered on different days to avoid online training fatigue. Our consultants are qualified virtual trainers and as a team we know that attendees will get more out of this format than an all-day remote training course. You need to attend both modules in order to complete the course.
“This is an excellent course for anyone wanting to understand their responsibilities under the Waste Duty of Care.” – University of Cambridge
Are you struggling to understand the requirements of the environmental aspects clause in ISO 14001:2015?
Created for anyone who needs to know more about environmental aspects, this course has been designed to take you through building an environmental aspects register for your organisation from start to finish. (Even if you already have a register, you will pick up some tips to improve and refresh your current register.)
Specially designed by our in house consultants, this course has been built to be delivered remotely so it can be easily fitted into your busy schedule. The course has been split into two modules that will be delivered at different times to avoid online training fatigue.
Our consultants are qualified virtual trainers, and as a team, we know that attendees will get more out of this format than an all-day remote training course. You will need to attend both modules to complete the course.
Created to provide all roles within your organisation with a fundamental level of environmental awareness, this course is designed to provide a basic understanding of the key environmental impacts relevant to UK businesses. The course will also help attendees reflect on how these issues apply to their organisation, and how they can be managed.
This is a half-day course, which will answer the following questions:
The course is designed to be delivered remotely, so it can be easily fitted into your busy schedule.
We’re also offering bulk discounts on multiple sign-ups!
As the COVID-19 pandemic rolls on, it is easy to give in to COVID fatigue and stop thinking about COVID-19 risk in the workplace. However, it is essential that employers continue to manage the potential risk of COVID-19 transmission in the workplace, and that they keep their risk assessment and associated controls up to date.
Below we’ve put a brief guide to risk assessments together, but for those starting from scratch, we’ve developed a brand new online course! You can read more about that here!
The fabled “5 steps to risk assessment” is tried and trusted and very much pushed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Guidance on this is available on the HSE website (https://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/risk/index.htm). The key steps are highlighted below:
There are of course, other methods that you can use, but with respect to the fundamentals of risk assessment, this is what your assessment should cover. If completed properly this should satisfy the requirement for completing a suitable and sufficient risk assessment.
Let’s have brief look at each of these stages with respect to specifically assessing the risk of employees returning to work in the office at this present time:
Think about your current workplace. Does it provide a safe environment for all at this time with respect to transmission of COVID-19? We are now a good 18 months into the COVID-19 pandemic and at the present time, almost all legal restrictions are being lifted. The key is to ensure the transmission of COVID-19 within the workplace is minimised by all who are likely to occupy it and move within it.
Your employees, contractors, visitors, members of the public, just to name a few should come into your thinking. Think about who may be risk as result of the shift back to the office. Consider those particularly at risk. Are there those who may be classed as vulnerable? Do you have arrangements / systems in place to minimise the risk to this group?
In this step there is a requirement to concentrate on what controls are in place at the moment to minimise the transmission of COVID-19 within the workplace. These should be considered in making a judgement on the level of risk. Are more controls required for the workplace?
Such controls may include home-working, staggered start times, hybrid (office and home) working, social distancing, provision of masks / face-coverings, requirement for the use of masks / face-coverings, provision of hand sanitiser, signage, cleaning regimes, physical screens, restrictions on meeting room occupancy, one-way systems and minimising pinch points. Also think about the provision of information to employees, visitors and contractors and if suitable emergency arrangements are in place for the workplace with respect to fire evacuation and first aid provision.
Depending on which jurisdiction you are in (i.e. England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland) consult the relevant government guidance on managing COVID-19 in the workplace.
Ensure that your key findings are documented and communicated to those people at risk. Make sure your assessment is accessible if people want to read it. Make the assessment easy to understand and user friendly. This will promote compliance amongst those who are required to implement it.
As we have seen over the last 18 months, the situation with the pandemic can be become fluid very quickly, so it is important to keep abreast of current developments and changes in government guidance and the impact of these on your risk assessment. Thus, the findings of your risk assessment should be reviewed frequently. This will allow your assessment to remain suitable and sufficient and ultimately effective in managing the risk of transmission.
If you need more help. Why not click the image below and book on to our excellent risk assessment course? Specially designed by our experienced in-house consultants, this course has been built to be delivered remotely so it can be easily fitted into your busy schedule. The course has been split into 2 modules that will be delivered at different times to avoid online training fatigue.
Nicola said, “Last time I had applied for jobs, nothing was online. I was really struggling with my computer skills, but Helen helped me to work on my online CV and showed me how I could search for jobs online.”
Over the coming days, Helen and Nicola worked together to search for job roles and applied to the positions which interested her. Excitingly, it wasn’t long before she was invited to an interview. They practised interview questions and looked at what Nicola should read about the company to be successful.
Since leaving her last role, Nicola’s confidence had suffered, “Helen helped me build my self-esteem back up. I was so nervous about the interview, but I needed the job as it was perfect to work around my family. Helen coached me for my interview and advised me on what I should read about the company to impress the interviewer.”
Through the work done together, Nicola now had the confidence to know how her skills gained from previous employment could be directly transferred to the new role she had applied for.
Shortly after the interview, Nicola was extremely pleased to hear that she had secured a new job at a leading hardware store, “When I was offered the job, I was ecstatic! I’ve never been out of work before, so everything felt daunting. With Helen’s help, I was able to find this job so quickly. I have been here six weeks now, and I love it; everyone is so supportive.”
Upon hearing the excellent news, to financially support Nicola before her first wage, Job Centre Plus Coach Kus arranged a fully paid bus pass that would last for a month.
Nicola added, “I would really recommend anyone looking for employment support for whatever reason to get in touch with More Positive Together. I honestly don’t know where I would be today if I didn’t have Helen’s support.
It has been a long time since I looked for a job and with everything now being online it truly took me out of my comfort zone. Helen is really easy to talk to and is proactive. She helped me navigate it all and I now know I can do it! I couldn’t thank her enough.”
Helen said, “I couldn’t be prouder of Nicola for following the advice and running with every opportunity she was given. Her hard work paid off and I wish her the best of luck in her new role!”
We offer the following services:
Over 2 training modules conducted over Microsoft Teams, one of our experienced consultants will provide a comprehensive overview of the waste duty of care and other key waste legislation that is applicable in England, to give you the skills required to comply.
This course is aimed at all organisations and individuals who generate, handle or treat waste within England. It will be particularly useful for those producing waste as part of their business activities, in addition to employees who handle waste and complete waste transfer paperwork.
What will I learn?
Using a mixture of presentations, activities and group discussions, by the end of the course you will be able to:
You can read more about our online course here.
If you are interested in any of the services above or would like to register your interest for one of our training courses, please get in touch via [email protected] to arrange an informal chat with one of our consultants about how we can support your organisation.
‘An element of an organisation’s activities or products or services that interacts or can interact with the environment’.
So environmental aspects are all the things that you do in carrying out your activities and services that can affect the environment in some way, either positively or negatively, for example:
‘change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, resulting from an organisation’s environmental aspects.’
If an impact is the effect or the result on the environment from an environmental aspect, we can therefore look at an aspect as the cause or reason of this effect.
The aspects suggested above will have a negative or positive impact on the environment, whether that is contributing to global warming and climate change when using electricity, water pollution from discharging dirty water to a local stream, or increasing biodiversity by planting a wildlife area.
HOW DO I SCORE MY ASPECTS?
The method you choose needs to be consistent i.e. the same way used for every aspect. There are suggestions in the Annex to the Standard to criteria that can be used including those that relate to the aspect (type, size and frequency) or the impact (scale, severity, duration, exposure) as well as organisation issues such as legal requirements or interested party concerns. You also need to ensure the criteria is written down as it is a documented information requirement within the Standard.
Using the standard scoring criteria in the aspects tool within LUS will ensure your aspects are scored appropriately as this has been developed by our experienced consultancy team and when used correctly has great feedback from external auditors.
HOW MANY ASPECTS SHOULD I HAVE?
The requirements of ISO 14001:2015 when it comes to environmental aspects registers can be confusing and unclear but they don’t have to be if you break it down into steps and keep it simple. Hopefully this article has addressed some issues you may have with aspects.