Under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002 , mould is classed as a biological agent. As per COSHH Regulation 7 (1)
Every employer shall ensure that the exposure of his employees to substances hazardous to health is either prevented or, where this is not reasonably practicable, adequately controlled.
As such, employers must reduce the risk of mould exposure to employees and to others who may have access to affected material.
Recommended methods to ensure successful compliance with the Regulations can be found in the COSHH Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) (PDF, 0.6MB). Though a number of mould species – some of which are commonly found within archival collections – are listed in the COSHH Approved List of Biological Agents (PDF, 0.4MB), there are no defined workplace exposure limits for mould provided in the EH40/2005 List of Workplace Exposure Limits (PDF, 0.7MB). Therefore, exposure must be kept ‘as low as reasonably practicable’, as outlined in the ACOP.
Where mould is known to be present within a collection and/or its storage space, a COSHH risk assessment should be undertaken in accordance with Health & Safety Executive guidance . This will supply a framework to identify hazards, assess the associated risks and determine appropriate control measures.