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Introduction to this document

Transporting small quantities of chemicals, paints and solvents

Many chemicals, paints and solvents could be hazardous if they come into contact with each other or are spilled during transportation. Failure to manage the risks associated with their transportation may lead to staff being injured or suffering from ill-health.

Managing the risks

To help you to identify the hazards associated with the transportation of small quantities of chemical substances and the appropriate ways of controlling them, use our example Risk Assessment - Transporting Small Quantities of Chemicals, Paints and Solvents. It covers the generic hazards associated with this type of activity and suggests control measures to reduce risks to an acceptable level. You should ensure that your document only addresses “significant” hazards, i.e. any that could, and more importantly are likely to, cause an accident or injury.

Make your instructions clear

Don’t include activities in your document that simply don’t need to be there. Work to the principle that if there is any chance of your staff being unaware of the safe way of doing something, then you will need to make it clear in your document. Finally, always ensure that any control measures you identify and follow are decided upon the principle of “so far as is reasonably practicable”.

Note. The list of potential hazards is not exhaustive. However, for your risk assessment to be considered suitable and sufficient in the eyes of the law it must accurately reflect the “significant” hazards found when your staff transport chemical substances.

Note. This risk assessment only deals with the generic risks associated with the transportation of small quantities of chemical substances. Your assessment should take into consideration the actual substances your staff are transporting as well as the dangers damage to containers and spillages could cause.