COSHH Assessments

When to Review a COSHH Assessment

How Often to Review a COSHH Assessment and What Triggers a Reassessment

A COSHH assessment is only valid while it reflects what your business actually does. The regulations require you to review your assessment regularly and whenever there is reason to think it is no longer valid. There is no fixed legal interval, which is why so many businesses leave an assessment untouched for years until an inspection exposes the gap. This article sets out a sensible review cycle for a hospitality business and the specific events that should trigger a reassessment before the cycle comes round.

Key takeaways

There is no fixed legal interval, but reviewing COSHH at least annually is sensible practice in hospitality.

Tie the review to a memorable date and always record when it was done.

Reassess earlier whenever a product, supplier, process, piece of equipment, or ventilation changes.

Any spill, near miss, or report of irritation or breathing problems is a trigger to reassess immediately.

Record what you reviewed and keep previous versions to show how controls have developed.

How Often to Review as Routine

Good practice in hospitality is to review COSHH assessments at least once a year, in line with the annual review most businesses already do for their food safety management system and fire risk assessment. An annual review is enough to catch the steady drift that happens as products get swapped, suppliers change, and new equipment arrives. Tie the COSHH review to a date you will not forget, such as the start of the financial year or the anniversary of opening, and record the date you carried it out. The review date is one of the quickest checks an inspector makes, and an assessment with no review history reads as one that has been ignored.

Events That Trigger an Earlier Reassessment

Several changes should prompt a reassessment regardless of where you are in the annual cycle. Introducing a new chemical or changing supplier means a new safety data sheet and possibly new hazards. Changing a process, such as moving from manual washing to a new dishwasher or starting to clean a canopy in-house, changes exposure. New equipment, a kitchen refit, or a change to ventilation alters the controls you rely on. A near miss, a spill, or anyone reporting skin irritation, breathing problems, or a splash injury is a clear signal that the existing controls are not working. Taking on younger or more vulnerable staff may also mean the controls need strengthening for those individuals.

Keeping Review Records Inspection-Ready

When you review an assessment, record what you checked and what changed, even if the answer is that nothing changed. A short note that the substances, uses, and controls were reviewed and remain valid, with the date and the name of the person who did it, is enough to show the system is alive. Where you did make a change, keep the previous version so you can show how controls have developed over time. If you manage COSHH digitally, this history is captured automatically, which makes it far easier to demonstrate continuous management than a folder of undated paper. The goal is the same as for your food diary: a record that shows ongoing, genuine management rather than a one-off exercise.

What to do next

Diarise an annual COSHH review

Set a recurring reminder tied to a date you will remember and record the review each year.

Add COSHH to your new-product checklist

Whenever you order a new chemical or change supplier, capture the new safety data sheet and update the assessment before the product is used.

Reassess after any incident

Treat spills, splashes, and reports of irritation as triggers to review controls straight away, not at the next annual cycle.

Common mistakes to avoid

Mistake

Leaving an assessment unchanged for years

Instead

Products and processes drift over time. An assessment that has not been reviewed no longer reflects the premises and will be treated as out of date.

Mistake

Changing a product but not the assessment

Instead

A new chemical can bring new hazards and new controls. Update the assessment when the product changes, not at the next scheduled review.

Frequently asked questions

How often should a COSHH assessment be reviewed?

There is no legal minimum interval, but at least annually is good practice for hospitality. You must also review whenever there is reason to believe the assessment is no longer valid, such as a new chemical, a changed process, or an incident.

What triggers a COSHH reassessment?

A new or changed substance, a new supplier, a changed process or piece of equipment, altered ventilation, an incident such as a spill or splash, or any report of ill health linked to a substance. Taking on more vulnerable staff can also trigger a review of controls.

Do I need to keep old COSHH assessments?

Keeping previous versions is good practice because it shows how your controls have developed and supports any investigation if someone reports ill health. Digital systems keep this history automatically.

COSHH Assessments