COSHH Assessments

The COSHH Assessment Steps Explained

The Steps of a COSHH Assessment and What Goes in Each One

The HSE describes COSHH assessment as a series of steps rather than a single form to fill in. Following them in order stops you from jumping straight to personal protective equipment before you have considered whether you need the hazardous product at all. This article works through the steps in plain language and shows what each one looks like in a kitchen, bar, or hotel. The steps are the same whether you assess on paper, on a spreadsheet, or in software, and an inspector will expect to see evidence that you worked through them rather than copied a finished document.

Key takeaways

COSHH assessment is a sequence of steps, not a single form, and the order matters.

Identify substances and hazards first, using safety data sheets and the GHS pictograms.

Decide who could be harmed and by which route before choosing controls.

Apply the hierarchy of control: eliminate or substitute before relying on protective equipment.

Record the assessment, train staff, store it where they work, and set a review date.

Identify the Hazardous Substances and Hazards

The first step is knowing what you are dealing with. Gather your chemical inventory and the safety data sheet for each product, and read the hazard classification: corrosive, irritant, harmful, flammable, and so on, shown by the GHS pictograms and the hazard statements. Include substances created by work as well as products you buy in, such as flour dust when baking, steam and chemical mist from a dishwasher, or fumes from cleaning a hot canopy. This step tells you which substances genuinely need a full assessment and which are low enough hazard to cover briefly.

Decide Who Could Be Harmed and How

For each substance, identify the people at risk and the route of exposure. Kitchen porters and cleaners usually have the highest exposure because they handle neat chemicals most often. Bar and cellar staff are exposed to line cleaner and carbon dioxide. Housekeepers use several products in small, sometimes poorly ventilated rooms. Maintenance staff meet drain cleaners and descalers. Do not forget contractors, delivery drivers, and anyone more vulnerable, including young workers on their first job, pregnant staff, and anyone with asthma or a skin condition. Naming the route of exposure, whether skin, inhalation, eyes, or ingestion, points you towards the right control.

Evaluate the Risk and Decide on Controls

Now judge how likely harm is and how serious it would be, taking your existing controls into account, then decide whether you need to do more. Apply the hierarchy of control: can you stop using the substance, or swap it for something less hazardous? If not, can you control exposure by dilution, better ventilation, or a safer method of work? Only after those should you rely on personal protective equipment such as gloves, aprons, and eye protection. Record the dilution rate, the equipment needed, storage requirements, and the emergency response for spills and splashes. The aim is a control set that a new starter could follow without guessing.

Record, Train, and Review

Write the assessment down. The law does not prescribe a format, but it must be clear enough for staff to use and for an inspector to follow. Brief everyone who uses the substances and keep a record of that training. Store the assessments and safety data sheets where staff work, not only in the office. Finally, set a review point: at least when something changes, such as a new product, a new process, or an incident, and as good practice on a regular cycle. A COSHH assessment is a living document in the same way as your food safety management system, and the review date is one of the first things an inspector checks.

What to do next

Map each substance to the people who use it

List the roles exposed to each product so you can target controls and training at the right staff.

Write controls a new starter could follow

State dilution rates, protective equipment, storage, and spill response in plain steps, not general advice.

Set a review date on every assessment

Diarise a regular review and a trigger to reassess whenever a product, process, or incident changes.

Common mistakes to avoid

Mistake

Jumping straight to gloves and aprons

Instead

Personal protective equipment is the last line of defence. Check first whether you can remove the substance or substitute a safer one, then control exposure at source.

Mistake

Treating the assessment as finished once it is written

Instead

The assessment must be reviewed when products or processes change and after any incident. An out-of-date assessment fails the same way a blank one does.

Frequently asked questions

How many steps are there in a COSHH assessment?

The HSE sets out the process in a small number of steps: identify the hazards, decide who could be harmed and how, evaluate the risk and decide on controls, record the assessment and train staff, and review it. Different guides number them slightly differently, but the substance is the same.

What is the hierarchy of control in COSHH?

It is the order in which you should control exposure: eliminate the substance, substitute a safer one, use engineering controls such as ventilation, apply ways of working that reduce exposure, and only then rely on personal protective equipment. Protective equipment is the last resort, not the first answer.

Does a COSHH assessment have to be written down?

If you have five or more employees you must record the significant findings. In practice every hospitality business should record its COSHH assessments, because you cannot train staff or show an inspector a control set that exists only in your head.

COSHH Assessments