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The Carcinogens ACoP is intended to be used alongside the General COSHH ACoP, not as a replacement for it. The Carcinogens ACoP stresses that "prevention of exposure to carcinogenic substances must be the first objective ... Carcinogenic substances or processes should not be used or carried on where there is an equivalent but less or non-hazardous substitute. However, carcinogenic, toxic and other properties of possible chemical substitutes should be established and taken into account when considering changes."

The ACoP also says that exposure monitoring should be the norm, and that health surveillance is appropriate "in the case of all carcinogenic substances, unless exposure is not significant." Regulation 11 also says, "In view of the usual latent period between exposure to a carcinogenic substance and any health effect, employees who have been exposed to carcinogenic substances should be provided with information about any need for continuing health surveillance after exposure has ceased."

Regulation 4 of COSHH prohibits use of a handful of carcinogens which are listed in Schedule 2 of the Regulations. These include 2-naphthylamine, benzidine, 4-aminodiphenyl, 4-nitrodiphenyl (or substances containing them or their salts), and benzene. Under COSHH, a carcinogen is defined as any substance in the category of "danger, carcinogenic" (category 1) or "carcinogenic" (category 2) in the CHIP Regulations, or listed in schedule 8 of COSHH.

Other substances and processes to which the definition of "carcinogen" relates (COSHH, Schedule 8): aflatoxins, arsenic, electrolytic chromium processes, excluding passivation, involving hexavalent chromium compounds, mustard gas, calcining, sintering or smelting nickel copper matte or acid leaching or electrorefining of roasted matte, coal soots, coal tar, pitch and coal tar fumes, some mineral oils, auramine manufacture, leather dust in boot and shoe manufacture, hard wood dusts, isopropyl alcohol manufacture (strong acid process), rubber manufacturing and processes giving rise to rubber process dust and rubber fume, and magenta manufacture.

Information on carcinogens is also found in safety data sheets and on labels, including the risk phrases "R45 (may cause cancer)" and "R49 (may cause cancer by inhalation)" required by the CHIP Regulations. CHIP lists over 100 chemicals with these particular risk phrases. Another source of information on carcinogens is the International Agency for Research on Cancer. The Carcinogens ACoP points out how important it is for workers and safety reps to have information over and above that required by the General ACoP. Regulation 12 says, "Persons exposed, or liable to be exposed, to carcinogenic substances, and their representatives at the workplace, should be made and kept aware of the nature of the risk, the special features of carcinogenic substances and the circumstances in which they may be exposed to carcinogenic substances, in addition to the information specified by the General ACoP" (General COSHH ACOP and Carcinogens ACOP and Biological Agents ACOP L5, HSE, 1997, ISBN 0 7176 1308 9).

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