§ Norman BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment the Health and Safety Executive has made of the impact on employees health of refilling and re-using printer cartridges. [139215]
§ Mr. BrowneThe toner used as part of the printing process is an extremely fine powder which in itself is not classed as a substance hazardous to health. However, any dust in substantial concentration may be classed as hazardous as it may cause respiratory tract irritation. In these circumstances the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH) place a duty on users of substances hazardous to health to carry out a risk assessment of their activity and to put in place appropriate control measures based on that assessment. Suppliers of substances for use at work also have a duty under the Chemicals (Hazard information and Packaging for Supply) Regulations (CHIP) to provide a safety data sheet with information to help users work with the substances safely.