A strong COSHH assessment example starts where the sting hits first: the sharp bleach smell in a cramped washroom, the faint catch in your throat, the clatter of a trolley as a cleaner squeezes past. You can almost see vapour curling under the strip lights. That is the moment risk becomes real, not theoretical. Here is the twist most teams miss: shorter, clearer COSHH assessments usually drive better compliance than long, dense paperwork. We helped a Midlands warehouse strip a nine page template down to three crisp pages, and incident reports fell while audit confidence rose. You will learn how to do the same below, with a practical walkthrough you can lift and use today.
Key Takeaways
- A concise, task-focused COSHH assessment example shows that shorter templates boost compliance and audit confidence over bloated paperwork.
- Assess whenever hazardous substances are used or generated and re-assess after product or process changes, incidents, or new SDS information, aligning reviews with shifts and maintenance cycles.
- Build your inventory first: list substances and tasks with SDS and CLP details, note form, quantities, frequency and locations, include contractors, and keep a visible register at point of use.
- Evaluate exposure clearly: identify who could be harmed and how across routine and non-routine work, check WELs in EH40, consider monitoring or health surveillance, and write plain-language ‘what could go wrong’ notes.
- Control risk by hierarchy: eliminate or substitute, use engineering and admin controls, provide fit-for-purpose PPE and face fit RPE if needed, and set robust storage, spill, and licensed waste arrangements.
- COSHH assessment example: for sodium hypochlorite cleaning, use ready-to-use dilution, ventilate, wear nitrile gloves, splash goggles and an apron, never mix with acids, label and lock storage, provide eyewash, and record incidents for prompt review.
What COSHH Covers And When You Must Assess
COSHH covers any workplace activity that uses or generates hazardous substances, including liquids, powders, pastes, gases, fumes, mists, vapours, dusts and biological agents. You deal with more than bottles on a shelf. Think welding fume, flour dust, diesel exhaust, cleaning chemicals, two part adhesives, isocyanates in spray, and micro organisms in labs or waste processing.
You must assess when hazardous substances are present or may be produced by the work process. You also reassess when you change products, alter a task, introduce new equipment, experience an incident or near miss, or after you learn new information from a Safety Data Sheet. Multi site operations should time reviews to fit maintenance cycles and shift patterns, because exposure profiles vary by shift, season and throughput.
You can read the HSE’s COSHH overview for the legal detail and practical guidance at https://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/.
You do not need to drown in paperwork. You need a suitable and sufficient, task focused assessment that shows you understand the hazards, the exposures, and the controls in place to reduce risk as low as reasonably practicable.
The COSHH Assessment Process, Step By Step
Identify Substances And Tasks
Start with an inventory. List every hazardous substance and every task where exposure could occur: production, cleaning, decanting, maintenance, deliveries and waste handling. Pull the Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for each product and check the CLP pictograms, hazard statements and recommended controls. Note the form of the substance in use, because powder, mist and vapour behave very differently. Record quantities, frequency, duration and scale. Include contractors and visiting engineers. Capture locations, storage arrangements, and how substances move around site. Keep this visible, not buried in a folder , a simple register on a wall near the point of use works.
Evaluate Risk And Exposure
Next, look at who could be harmed and how. Consider inhalation, skin contact, eye contact and ingestion. Map normal operations first, then non routine events such as cleaning, breakdowns, changeovers, and spill response. Rate severity and likelihood using your risk matrix, but write plain language notes alongside the numbers. Check for Workplace Exposure Limits in EH40 where relevant, and decide whether you need monitoring or health surveillance. Think about combined exposures and incompatible substances that could react. Document what could go wrong in a sentence or two so supervisors can explain it to new starters without a script.
Select Controls, Storage, Spills, And Waste
Now choose controls following the hierarchy. Eliminate the substance where you can. Substitute with a less hazardous product or a ready to use dilution to avoid decanting. Engineer the risk down using local exhaust ventilation, closed transfer, splash guards or automated dosing. Administer procedures that set safe systems of work, job rotation, training and supervision. Provide PPE that matches the hazard: correct glove material, eye protection, protective clothing and respiratory protective equipment that is face fit where required. Arrange storage that segregates incompatibles, keeps containers upright, labelled and locked, and limits quantities at the point of use. Prepare spill procedures with kits, eyewash, first aid and isolation steps. Plan waste disposal via a licensed contractor with labelled containers and records kept for audits.
COSHH Assessment Example: Using Sodium Hypochlorite For Cleaning
Task, Hazards, And People At Risk
Consider a routine toilet clean in a warehouse welfare block using a sodium hypochlorite solution. The task involves diluting a concentrated product, applying it to hard surfaces and rinsing. The substance can cause severe skin burns and eye damage, and can irritate the respiratory tract. Dangerous chlorine gas can be released if it meets acids. People at risk include cleaners, nearby staff walking through, maintenance workers opening drains, and supervisors who check the area.
Controls And Safe System Of Work
Use a ready diluted product where possible. If you must dilute, measure using a dosing cap or dispenser and mix in a well ventilated area, away from acids and ammonia based cleaners. Wear nitrile gloves, splash goggles and an apron. Keep doors or windows open during use. Never decant into drinks bottles or unlabelled containers. Store in a locked, labelled cabinet, away from acids. Train staff to read the SDS, check PPE before use and never mix chemicals. Provide an eyewash station nearby. Clean up small spills with absorbent granules while ventilating the space, and dispose of waste as hazardous chemical waste following your contractor’s instructions. Record any incidents and review the assessment promptly.
Filled Template: Completed COSHH Assessment (Worked Example)
Substance, Hazards, And Exposure
| Section | Example Details |
|---|---|
| Substance | Sodium hypochlorite solution, approximately 5 percent available chlorine |
| Task | Disinfecting washroom basins, toilets and floors in welfare block |
| Hazard statements | Causes severe skin burns and eye damage. Very toxic to aquatic life. Releases toxic chlorine gas if mixed with acids |
| Routes of exposure | Skin, eyes, inhalation of mist or vapour |
| People at risk | Cleaner, adjacent staff, maintenance, supervisor |
| Frequency and duration | Twice daily clean, 20 minutes per area |
| Existing controls | Ready diluted product for daily use, SDS available at point of use |
Controls, PPE, And Emergency Arrangements
| Section | Example Details |
|---|---|
| Engineering and admin controls | Use ready to use product, ventilate area, prohibit mixing with acids, colour coded bottles, signage during cleaning, supervisor checks |
| PPE | Nitrile gloves, splash goggles, plastic apron. RPE not required in normal use with good ventilation |
| Storage | Locked chemical cabinet, original containers, secondary containment, segregated from acids |
| Spill response | Isolate area, increase ventilation, contain with absorbent, collect waste in labelled container, inform supervisor |
| First aid and emergency | Eyewash station within 10 metres, first aid box, call emergency services if eye exposure or large spill. Follow SDS Section 4 and 6 guidance |
| Waste management | Dispose of residues and empty containers as hazardous waste via licensed contractor. Keep consignment notes in the safety file |
| Health surveillance | Not required for occasional low exposure use. Review if dermatitis reports increase |
| Residual risk rating | Medium to low with controls in place |
| Review schedule | Annual review or after product, process or incident change |
| Responsible person | Facilities Manager |
You can paste this layout into your own template and adjust the fields to fit your processes. Brief your supervisors to walk the job and verify the controls at the workface, not only in the document.
Adapting The Example To Your Workplace
Your site will have different chemicals, different tasks and different people. Translate the example by mapping each task step, then test whether the chosen control is the simplest thing that actually works. Scale the register across sites by using one standard, short template and a photo of the setup next to each assessment. Rotate the review across shifts so night teams are not forgotten. Build in training that fits your schedule with toolbox talks and micro learning for cleaners and maintenance.
Secure Safety Solutions can help you move from reactive to ready with practical COSHH assessments, PPE assessments and health and safety audits that stand up to HSE scrutiny while keeping production moving. You can see how we work at https://securesafetysolutions.co.uk/ and you can request support at https://securesafetysolutions.co.uk/contact/.
You will get hazard audits, clear documentation of risk controls, and action prioritisation by risk level , so compliance becomes visible and demonstrable, not a paperwork headache.
COSHH Assessment FAQs
What does COSHH cover and when must you complete a COSHH assessment?
Under COSHH, you must assess any work using or generating hazardous substances: liquids, powders, pastes, gases, fumes, mists, vapours, dusts and biological agents. Assess before exposure occurs and reassess after product or process changes, incidents, new SDS information or equipment. Multi‑site operations should align review timing with maintenance cycles and different shift patterns.
How do you carry out a COSHH assessment step by step?
A practical COSHH assessment: list substances and exposure tasks; pull SDS and CLP details; note form, quantities, frequency and people affected, including contractors. Evaluate routes (inhalation, skin, eyes, ingestion), routine and non‑routine work; rate risk and check EH40 WELs. Then select controls via hierarchy, and set storage, spill, waste and health‑surveillance arrangements.
COSHH assessment example: How should bleach (sodium hypochlorite) be used safely for cleaning?
For a bleach COSHH assessment example, prefer ready‑diluted product. If diluting, measure accurately, ventilate well, and keep away from acids or ammonia. Wear nitrile gloves, splash goggles and an apron. Never decant into drinks bottles. Store locked and labelled, provide eyewash, manage spills with absorbent, dispose as hazardous waste, and record incidents promptly.
How can keeping a COSHH assessment short improve compliance?
Short, clear COSHH assessments boost compliance because workers can grasp the task, hazards and controls at a glance. One warehouse cut a nine‑page form to three and saw fewer incidents and stronger audit results. Keep notes in plain language, verify controls at the workface, and schedule reviews across shifts and sites.
Who can complete a COSHH assessment, and what makes someone competent?
A COSHH assessment should be completed by a competent person—someone with sufficient training and experience to understand the substances, tasks and controls. That could be a line manager, safety adviser or trained supervisor. Competence includes interpreting SDS/CLP, applying the hierarchy of control, engaging workers, and knowing when to seek occupational hygiene advice.
What’s the difference between a COSHH assessment and a general risk assessment?
A general risk assessment considers all hazards. A COSHH assessment targets hazardous substances: their specific hazards, exposure routes, relevant Workplace Exposure Limits, monitoring or health surveillance needs, and controls (substitution, local exhaust ventilation, procedures, PPE, storage, spill and waste). It complements your broader assessment and is usually documented as a concise, task‑based record.
