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Health & Safety
Health and safety for any organisation is a vital consideration, and at ICI Paints AkzoNobel we pride our selves in making sure all our products are safe and convenient to use. All come with detailed instructions on how to use them, as well of the details of the chemicals and their side effects.
It is our duty to make sure that are aware of the risks they maybe susceptible to when using our products. In addition we offer information on basic health and safety through our online business fact sheets, and our one day application courses also help in educating our decorators on how to use our products in the correct and safest way.
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COSHH
- Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Assessment is all about gathering together the information on the products and work practices associated with their use. Any risk to the health of employees must be identified and provision made to either eliminate the risk or at least control it, before any work is started.
- ICI Paints is responsible for providing our users with the necessary Health and Safety information on all our products. We therefore provide product specific Safety Data Sheets (SDS), which is a comprehensive pack of information which is broken down into sixteen sections, from the identification of the product, its ingredients and any hazardous information, through to storage, handling and the fire and first aid measures associated with it.
- Safety datasheets can be downloaded directly from this site, or you can call the Technical Advice Centre for the information to be sent to you.
- When the assessment has been completed it should be written down so that it can be produced for inspection or amended at any time, as and when required. If you need assistance in writing this, our DuSpec tool will not only write your paint specification but also provide the legal documentation required for your COSHH assessment.
- Further information on COSHH can be found in the following publications (or later editions):
- Control Of Substances Hazard to Health Code of Practice HSE ISBN 0717625346 HMSO
- A step by step guide to COSHH Assessment HSE ISBN 0717614468
- COSHH Essentials
- Easy steps to control of chemicals HSE ISBN 0717624218
- BS4275: 1997 Recommendations on the selection, use and maintenance of Respiratory Protective Equipment
- British Coating Federation Guide to the COSHH Regulations
Download Glidden Trade Safety Datasheets »
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CHIP
CHIP is the official acronym for the Chemicals, Hazards, Information and Packaging Regulations, and enacts two EC Directives. CHIP covers the classification of products for hazards, the packaging and labelling resulting from that classification, and the provision of hazard information in the Safety Data Sheets.
CHIP applies to all ICI AkzoNobel Paints products. Each hazard classification, which includes Toxic, Harmful, Corrosive, Flammable etc, are attributed to our products following specific rules, based on the formulation of the product. This information is then contained on our packaging. For more detailed advice you should refer to the product-specific safety datasheet.
CHIP requires that as paint manufacturers we supply safety datasheets free of charge direct to our customers, and to keep a record of who we proactively send them to. In addition, the trade merchants who stock ICI AkzoNobel Paints products are also obliged under the CHIP regulations to supply their customers with safety datasheets. Retail outlets are exempt from this requirement.
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Hazardous substances (lead & asbestos)
- Lead and asbestos were used extensively in decorative coatings and building materials respectively, and although much of this material has been removed over the years, a large amount of lead paint and asbestos is still present in buildings today. Both can be highly dangerous if you come in to contact with them when carrying out a decoration project.
- Lead
- Lead-based pigments were once used in decorative paints, applied in and around homes and other buildings. These pigments have not been used for many decades in ICI Paints products, but old lead painted surfaces can still be found.
- ICI Paints want to ensure that the public and professional users of our products are aware of the potential risk in homes, commercial properties and public buildings that are associated with exposure to old painted surfaces.
- Old painted surfaces are of particular concern when:
- They are allowed to deteriorate and are flaking, cracking or chipping.
- They rub and chip or form dust.
- They are accessible to children, who might chew or suck the painted surface.
- If you think you are dealing with an old lead painted surface, download the BCF guide on Old Lead Painted Surfaces.
- Asbestos
- The building and construction industry is well aware of the presence and potential danger of asbestos in old buildings, but this is just as important for the painting and decorating trade. Although ICI Paints products do not contain asbestos, there is still a chance that specifiers, builders and professional decorators may come into contact with the material.
- You can download a copy of the BCF information paper on Asbestos and Decorative Coatings, which details the action one should take if you uncover asbestos. Professional painters and builders should also refer to appropriate legislation and HSE publications on asbestos including:
- Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 1999 (or future amendments).
- The Stationery Office (see Yellow Pages).
- Working with asbestos in buildings (IND(G)289 or future versions) HSE Books (Tel: 01787 881165)
- Selection of suitable respiratory equipment for work with asbestos (IND(G)288 or future versions) HSE Books.
- Asbestos dust kills: keep your mask on (IND(G)255 rev.1, or future versions)
