Protect your business and employees
Hazard Exposure in the Workplace
Hazard exposure at work is a health and safety risk facing staff contact who deal with hazardous substances, environmental risks, and physical hazards. Repeated exposure to threats such as asbestos, radiation, or extreme heat may lead to chronic illness or injury.
To ensure your business remains compliant with UK laws and regulation, access expert business Health & Safety services in the UK to protect your people, property, and reputation. Enquire today for a free consultation.
Helping you with
Prevent hazard exposure to create a safe, compliant workplace
Helping you with
Prevent hazard exposure to create a safe, compliant workplace
Helping you with
Prevent hazard exposure to create a safe, compliant workplace
If your employees use power tools, work in loud construction sites, or have contact with ionising or non-ionising radiation, you have a legal duty under UK law to monitor and control exposure in line with relevant regulations.
At WorkNest, our fixed-fee support service will help you to meet these responsibilities and simplify the task of keeping staff safe.
Get a full audit of your compliance with an on-site health and safety audit (General Risk Assessment)
Ensure relevant to hazardous substances is managed, from maintaining suitable working temperatures to appointing a Radiation Protection Advisor
Continue to meet your responsibilities with unlimited advice from a named Health & Safety specialist
Help to develop task-specific risk assessments or self-serve from our myWorkNest template bank
Keep statutory check documents with our smart health and safety software, SafetyNest
Take full control of hazard exposure risks
Take full control of hazard exposure risks
Take full control of hazard exposure risks
Hazard exposure vulnerability risks can be identified with expert assessments, revealing the hidden dangers in your working environment. From EMFs to ultraviolet rays and vibrations, it’s vital to identify these less obvious risks.
If you're in non-compliance with UK laws, then you're putting your business at risk of costly and damaging employment tribunals.
Monitoring exposure in the workplace is a large undertaking, and hazards that are difficult to detect make the job of managing them even harder. Speak to us today about competent support for your business, with our services set at a fixed fee price guaranteed.
Hazard exposure vulnerability risks can be identified with expert assessments, revealing the hidden dangers in your working environment. From EMFs to ultraviolet rays and vibrations, it’s vital to identify these less obvious risks.
If you're in non-compliance with UK laws, then you're putting your business at risk of costly and damaging employment tribunals.
Monitoring exposure in the workplace is a large undertaking, and hazards that are difficult to detect make the job of managing them even harder. Speak to us today about competent support for your business, with our services set at a fixed fee price guaranteed.
The types of exposure at work
There are three core types of hazards: biological, chemical, and physical. Protecting your staff and reputation begins with understanding the risks presented.
1. Asbestos exposure hazards
Employees and workers must be aware of the dangers of asbestos in working environments. It’s your duty of care as the employer to take steps to protect staff, which may include awareness training and an emergency plan in the event of asbestos discovery. Outsourcing to asbestos exposure services can help you quickly address any concerns.
2. Chemical and biological hazards
Chemical and biological hazards can pose serious long-term health complications for employees. With our expert UK COSHH consultancy services, you can manage those who work with hazardous substances (substances in the air: fumes, dust, gas, or mist etc.) in your working environment by remaining compliant with COSHH regulations.
3. Radiation hazards
Ionising radiation can cause serious health complications for any employee exposed, including burns and cell damage. You must request consent from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) if you plan to work with radiation. Outsourcing to radiation safety consultants will help with your preparation and HSE application.
4. Noise risk
Under the The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 (Noise Regulations 2005), it’s your duty of care as the employer to assess the risks of noise in the workplace. You must then take steps to reduce the risks posed to your employees or workers. With a professional noise risk assessment, you can began this process.
1. Asbestos exposure hazards
Employees and workers must be aware of the dangers of asbestos in working environments. It’s your duty of care as the employer to take steps to protect staff, which may include awareness training and an emergency plan in the event of asbestos discovery. Outsourcing to asbestos exposure services can help you quickly address any concerns.
2. Chemical and biological hazards
Chemical and biological hazards can pose serious long-term health complications for employees. With our expert UK COSHH consultancy services, you can manage those who work with hazardous substances (substances in the air: fumes, dust, gas, or mist etc.) in your working environment by remaining compliant with COSHH regulations.
3. Radiation hazards
Ionising radiation can cause serious health complications for any employee exposed, including burns and cell damage. You must request consent from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) if you plan to work with radiation. Outsourcing to radiation safety consultants will help with your preparation and HSE application.
4. Noise risk
Under the The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 (Noise Regulations 2005), it’s your duty of care as the employer to assess the risks of noise in the workplace. You must then take steps to reduce the risks posed to your employees or workers. With a professional noise risk assessment, you can began this process.
It's your duty of care as an employer to limit workplace hazard exposure. Contact our specialist team for a free consultation, with advice tailored to your business needs.
Explore our fixed-fee Employment Law support
Advice Line
Fast, pragmatic, commercial. Our Employment Law & HR advice line gives you and your managers access to truly unlimited advice on all of your people-related challenges, from the seemingly straightforward to the most complex.
HR matters come with the territory when you run a business or manage an organisation and we’re here to help you through it all. Whether you’re battling absenteeism, struggling to manage an underperforming employee or need help navigating a complicated exercise like redundancy, we can walk you through the steps required to handle the situation appropriately.
Yes. All of our advisers are qualified legal professionals or on the road to formal qualification, which means a full range of employee issues can be dealt with within your dedicated three-person team. In the event that you’re presented with an Employment Tribunal claim, we will conduct a full handover to our Litigation Team so that they are well equipped to defend you.
Why choose us?
Experts in UK exposure hazards services
Why choose us?
Experts in UK exposure hazards services
Why choose us?
Experts in UK exposure hazards services
If you’re not confident in your current practices, or don’t have professional support in place, our network of qualified Health & Safety Consultants can help you to build a safe and compliant working environment through expert support tailored to your organisation.
Approved by a Primary Authority
Dedicated specialists with recognised qualifications
Genuine hands-on experience of managing risk
Unlimited 24/7 advice, award-winning software and policy support
The confidence to act as one of your competent persons
Gain crucial employment law and compliance certification
Our Team
Cross-industry expertise, ready to support you
Practical support, made personal
Trusted by employers across the UK
We support over 40,000 UK employers, from small businesses with fewer than 50 employees to well-known household names with large, multi-site workforces.
Joanne Beaver
Operations Director, Beaverfit
Nick Fryer
Paymentsense - Europe largest merchant service provider, CTO
Chief Executive
Waverley Care
IT Manager
Leeds United Football Club
FAQs
If HSE guidance suggests you have a noise problem, you may need to get a competent person, either someone within your organisation or an external professional, to measure the noise and determine the representative daily or weekly personal noise exposure during a noise assessment.
They will measure the sound pressure level at the different locations within the workplace where the employee works, and for the different tasks carried out during the day. The average is calculated from these values and the time spent in each place or at each task
The temperature must be reasonable. UK law doesn’t state a minimum or maximum temperature, but guidelines suggest a general minimum of 16°C or 13°C if the majority of the work involves rigorous physical effort. For maximum temperatures, TUC guidance states the maximum temperature employees should work in is 30°C (27°C for manual workers).
Make sure that control measures to reduce vibration are properly applied, information, training and health surveillance is provided, and workers are given the right equipment. You should also ensure that regular workplace risk assessments are carried out – especially if anything changes that may affect exposure to vibration. Assessments help ensure changes are productive and that hand tools/machines are safe to use.
Identifying signs and symptoms at an early stage is critical, so effective monitoring systems should be in place. Ongoing monitoring and recording also helps make sure standards are followed.
Under the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, any employer who intends to perform work that will likely expose the workforce to excessive noise must carry out a specific noise risk assessment, covering all areas and/or operations. This should determine levels of noise, employee exposure and the actions required to reduce employee exposure to the levels required by the regulations.
The level at which risk assessments must take place is 80 decibels. If the noise level is 85 decibels or more, hearing protection and hearing protection zones must be provided. Workers who are regularly exposed to sound levels greater than 85 decibels must also have regular hearing tests.
There are steps your business can take in preventing or adequately controlling potential exposures in the workplace. The three core focuses are:
Risk assessment and planning: This allows you to identify workplace hazards, conduct an assessment of them, and plan for potential emergencies.
Monitoring, maintenance, and review: Monitor hazards to ensure they’re below workplace exposure limits (WEL), check your control measures often, and periodically check your procedures.
Training and personal protective equipment (PPE): Train employees and managers to follow essential instructions, as well as investing in PPE to support the correct working practices.
If HSE guidance suggests you have a noise problem, you may need to get a competent person, either someone within your organisation or an external professional, to measure the noise and determine the representative daily or weekly personal noise exposure during a noise assessment.
They will measure the sound pressure level at the different locations within the workplace where the employee works, and for the different tasks carried out during the day. The average is calculated from these values and the time spent in each place or at each task
Make sure that control measures to reduce vibration are properly applied, information, training and health surveillance is provided, and workers are given the right equipment. You should also ensure that regular workplace risk assessments are carried out – especially if anything changes that may affect exposure to vibration. Assessments help ensure changes are productive and that hand tools/machines are safe to use.
Identifying signs and symptoms at an early stage is critical, so effective monitoring systems should be in place. Ongoing monitoring and recording also helps make sure standards are followed.
There are steps your business can take in preventing or adequately controlling potential exposures in the workplace. The three core focuses are:
Risk assessment and planning: This allows you to identify workplace hazards, conduct an assessment of them, and plan for potential emergencies.
Monitoring, maintenance, and review: Monitor hazards to ensure they’re below workplace exposure limits (WEL), check your control measures often, and periodically check your procedures.
Training and personal protective equipment (PPE): Train employees and managers to follow essential instructions, as well as investing in PPE to support the correct working practices.
The temperature must be reasonable. UK law doesn’t state a minimum or maximum temperature, but guidelines suggest a general minimum of 16°C or 13°C if the majority of the work involves rigorous physical effort. For maximum temperatures, TUC guidance states the maximum temperature employees should work in is 30°C (27°C for manual workers).
Under the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, any employer who intends to perform work that will likely expose the workforce to excessive noise must carry out a specific noise risk assessment, covering all areas and/or operations. This should determine levels of noise, employee exposure and the actions required to reduce employee exposure to the levels required by the regulations.
The level at which risk assessments must take place is 80 decibels. If the noise level is 85 decibels or more, hearing protection and hearing protection zones must be provided. Workers who are regularly exposed to sound levels greater than 85 decibels must also have regular hearing tests.
