Trike under the COSHH

More than 50 per cent of the UK's manufacturing and engineering companies using carcinogenic solvent trichloroethylene could face prosecution under new legislation, a leading expert has warned.

Clive Ward, general manager of the Clean-Tek product range at surface preparation specialists Wheelabrator Group, believes over half of affected companies are putting themselves and their staff at risk, by failing to prepare for the Solvent Emissions Directive (SED), which comes into force on October 31 next year.

The SED restricts emissions from organic solvents, such as trichloroethylene, more commonly known as 'trike', to limit worker exposure and protect health. In the UK, trike has been used for industrial component cleaning for many years, frequently in open top vapour degreasing tanks, some over 40 years old.

Mr Ward said: ‘When the SED was passed by the EU in 1999 it gave businesses eight years to implement changes, but a staggering number of companies still haven't done anything about it and the clock is ticking.’