Do I Legally Need a COSHH Assessment?

If your work involves any substance that could harm health, the short answer is almost certainly yes. COSHH assessments are one of the most common legal requirements small businesses overlook — and one of the easiest for an inspector to spot when missing.

What COSHH actually is

COSHH stands for the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002. The law requires employers (and self-employed people) to prevent or adequately control exposure to hazardous substances at work.

A COSHH assessment is the written record showing you've identified the hazardous substances you use, judged the risk, and put controls in place.

What counts as a "hazardous substance"?

It's much broader than people expect. It includes:

• Chemicals and products with a hazard label or safety data sheet (cleaning products, solvents, paints, adhesives, disinfectants)
• Fumes, vapours, mists and gases
• Dusts — including wood dust, flour and silica
• Biological agents (bacteria and other micro-organisms)

COSHH does not cover asbestos, lead or radioactive substances — those have their own separate regulations.

What a COSHH assessment must cover

A suitable and sufficient assessment should identify the substances and their hazards, who could be exposed and how, the level of risk, the control measures in place, and what to do in an emergency such as a spill. It should be specific to your workplace — a generic template with your name on it usually isn't enough.

What happens if you don't have one?

Failing to control hazardous substances is a breach of health and safety law. It can lead to improvement or prohibition notices, prosecution and fines — and, more importantly, to staff developing conditions like occupational asthma or dermatitis. Many cases of work-related ill health are caused by exposure that a proper COSHH assessment would have controlled.