PIR / PUR Foam Boards (cutting & burning)
COSHH assessment
A COSHH assessment for pir / pur foam boards (cutting & burning) on a UK construction site: what it does to people, how it gets into them, the controls that stop it, the PPE for what is left, and what to do when it goes wrong. Copy it into your assessment and change what does not fit your job.
Hazards to health
Cutting dust, mechanical irritant. CRITICAL: cured PIR/PUR releases isocyanate (HDI/MDI) and hydrogen cyanide when burned, hot-cut or in fire, lethal in confined fires. No isocyanate exposure from cold cutting.
Routes of exposure
Inhalation (cutting dust, hot-cutting fume), Skin contact, Fire
Control measures
- Cold-cut only, handsaw or knife.
- NEVER hot-cut, NEVER use a hot wire to score, NEVER weld near boards.
- Strict no-hot-work permit required for any operation within 5m.
- Sweep up and bag offcuts.
- Pre-fit cable penetrations to avoid cutting after install.
PPE for what is left
- FFP3 mask when cutting, Nitrile gloves, Safety goggles, Coveralls
Emergency procedures
- Cold-cut inhalation: fresh air.
- Hot-cut/fire exposure: 999, evacuate to fresh air, A&E even if asymptomatic, isocyanate and HCN effects can be delayed.
Questions people ask
Do I need a COSHH assessment for pir / pur foam boards (cutting & burning)?
If the substance is hazardous to health and your work exposes people to it, yes. The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, regulation 6, require a suitable and sufficient assessment before the work starts, with the significant findings recorded if you employ five or more. The safety data sheet is an input to the assessment, not a substitute for it. Guidance, not legal advice.
What is the difference between a safety data sheet and a COSHH assessment?
The data sheet is the manufacturer describing the product in general. The assessment is you describing how your people use it on your job: how much, how often, for how long, in what ventilation, with what controls. Two firms using the same tin can have very different assessments.
What is a WEL?
A Workplace Exposure Limit, the maximum airborne concentration averaged over a reference period, set in HSE document EH40. Where one applies to this substance it is stated in the hazards above; where it does not, the duty to reduce exposure so far as is reasonably practicable still stands.
Is PPE enough?
No. COSHH puts PPE last: eliminate the substance, substitute for something less harmful, control at source with ventilation and enclosure, then organise the work to reduce exposure, and only then PPE for what is left. An assessment that jumps straight to gloves and a mask is the kind an inspector questions. Guidance, not legal advice.
How often should it be reviewed?
When the product, the method, the quantities or the people change, if there is any sign the controls are not working, and at least every year or so regardless. Health surveillance may be required where exposure could cause an identifiable disease, such as dermatitis or occupational asthma.
The COSHH assessment writes itself
Pick the substance in the SiteLynx RAMS editor and the COSHH assessment fills in with the hazards, controls and PPE, alongside the HAVS and noise assessments for the tools you chose. Signed on site on a phone. 14 days free.
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