Rank: Forum user
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Our office landlords need to replace a soil pipe above an office. They say they will use sheets to protect the area as the flats above may flush and there may be a flood. We aren't happy with this as there is a potential for the office to be full of human waste. Would sewage fall under COSHH? Are there any other relevant legislation or information anyone can point me too?
Thanks in advance.
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Rank: Super forum user
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I would say yes, as excrement is a major source of harmful micro-organisms, including bacteria, viruses and parasites. Working with Sewage guidance http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg198.pdf
This may also be of interest to you http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/infection.pdf Regards George
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1 user thanked George_Young for this useful post.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Yes definitely under COSHH as it will contain microorganisms that might be harmful to human health and pose a risk of infection. They will need to do a suitable and sufficient risk assessment to identify the risk of infection from the waste they might be working with, who might be at risk, including your staff. How they will control that risk ie stop people being exposed to the potential bioagents, how they will disinfect or otherwise make the area safe, and what they would do it all went wrong and they had a flood of human excrement rather the just a few splashes.
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Rank: Forum user
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Brilliant, thank you both.
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Rank: Forum user
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Further to the information already provided there are blood born diseases such as Heptitis you should consider as part of the COSHH Assessment, see link below which is a useful guide on completing the assessment:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/infection.pdf
It is not just health and safety. Do not forget the environmental issues also....
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1 user thanked Woolf13 for this useful post.
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