Commodity Substance: Ethanol

Health and Safety Executive
Food and Environment Protection Act 1985

Date of issue: 18 February 1993
Date of expiry: 14 May 2014

This approval is subject to the following conditions:

Field of Use

• As an insecticide in museums and buildings of cultural, artistic and historical interest
• As a preservative in museums and buildings of cultural artistic and historical interest

Pest and Usage Area

• For the control of flying and crawling insects and fungi

Application Method

• Immersion in a tank enclosed in a fume cupboard
• Storage of specimens in material

Operator Protection

• A written Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) assessment must be made before using ethanol. Operators should also observe the Occupational Exposure Standard (OES) set out in Health & Safety Executive (HSE) guidance note EH40/99 or subsequent issues.
• Engineering control of operator exposure must be used where reasonably practicable in addition to the following items of personal protective equipment. Operators must wear suitable protective clothing, including protective gloves and eye protection, when handling or applying the material.
• However engineering controls may replace personal protective equipment if a COSHH assessment shows they provide an equal or higher standard of protection.

Other specific restrictions

• Operators should be provided with adequate information about the hazards of the substance and the precautions necessary for safe use. Sources of information include the supplier's Safety Data Sheet.
• Unprotected persons and animals must be excluded from any areas where treatment is taking place, and such areas should be ventilated after treatment.
• Must be used only by operators who are suitably trained and competent to carry out this work.