COSHH Compliance Check

Why this matters

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH), as amended, place a legal duty on every UK employer whose staff are exposed to hazardous substances — cleaning chemicals, solvents, adhesives, dusts, fumes, biological agents or gases — to assess the risk and put in place adequate control measures. This is not limited to obvious industrial settings: hairdressers and beauty salons, garages and vehicle repair shops, cleaning contractors, print and sign shops, laboratories, nail bars, caterers and construction trades are all routinely in scope. The HSE actively enforces COSHH through targeted inspection campaigns and can issue improvement or prohibition notices, and serious breaches — particularly those causing occupational asthma, dermatitis or other long-term ill health — can lead to prosecution and unlimited fines.

Compliance requires more than storing chemicals safely. Employers must complete a written COSHH risk assessment for each hazardous substance in use, apply the hierarchy of control (eliminate, substitute, control exposure, use PPE as a last resort), provide relevant information and training to staff, and in higher-risk cases arrange health surveillance and exposure monitoring against Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs). Many small businesses hold COSHH data sheets from suppliers but have never converted them into a proper risk assessment, which is the specific gap HSE inspectors look for. Getting this right also reduces the risk of employer liability claims from staff who develop occupational ill health.

What you'll need

• Whether staff use, store, or are exposed to chemicals, solvents, cleaning products, dusts, fumes, gases or biological agents at work
• Whether you hold Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for the substances used in your business
• Whether you have written COSHH risk assessments in place, or only supplier data sheets
• Whether any staff currently use PPE, extraction, or ventilation when working with hazardous substances
• Whether any employees have reported skin, breathing or other health issues linked to substances used at work

What you'll get

A personalised compliance report covering: a score out of 100, an executive summary, a list of findings ranked by severity, and a prioritised action plan with timeframes.