COSHH by Area

COSHH in Bin and Waste Areas

The Substances and Hazards in the Bin Store and Used Cooking Oil

The bin store and waste areas are easy to overlook in a COSHH assessment, but they bring together several hazards in one outdoor or back-of-house space. Used cooking oil collected for recycling is a substance in its own right, hot when first drained and a slip hazard when spilled. Waste areas are cleaned and sanitised with degreasers and disinfectants, sometimes the strongest products on site because of the soiling involved. And the bin store generates its own hazards, from decomposition to pest activity and the risk of contact with discarded chemical containers. This guide covers what COSHH means for the bin and waste areas and the controls that keep this neglected space safe.

Key takeaways

Used cooking oil is hot when drained and a serious slip hazard when spilled on bin store floors and ramps.

Waste areas are cleaned with heavy-duty degreasers and disinfectants, and pressure washing turns these into an easily inhaled mist.

The same no-mixing rule applies: chlorine disinfectants must not meet acidic cleaners.

Empty and part-full chemical containers must be rinsed and disposed of as the safety data sheet directs, not thrown in general waste.

Keep the bin store tidy, lockable, and clean of grease because it is a busy pedestrian route for staff with full bins.

Used Cooking Oil and Grease

Used cooking oil is collected in drums or tanks for recycling and is a COSHH consideration for two reasons. When it is drained from a fryer it is extremely hot and can cause serious scald burns, so the controls overlap with safe working practice as well as substance handling. Once cooled and spilled, it is a significant slip hazard on bin store floors and ramps, which are often the busiest pedestrian route at the back of a kitchen. Grease trap waste and fats, oils, and grease collected from drains carry an unpleasant and potentially harmful biological load. Controls include allowing oil to cool before transfer where possible, using a pump or a proper transfer container rather than carrying open vessels, cleaning spills promptly, and keeping the collection drum secure and clearly identified for the waste oil contractor. The bin area floor needs to be kept clean of grease because it is where staff walk with full bins.

Cleaning and Sanitising Waste Areas

Bin stores and waste areas need regular cleaning because of food waste, leakage, and pest attraction, and the products used are often heavy-duty degreasers and disinfectants, sometimes chlorine based. Pressure washing the bin area, common practice, turns these chemicals into a fine mist that is easy to breathe in, and a pressure washer can also drive chemical and contaminated water onto skin and into eyes. The same no-mixing discipline applies: a chlorine disinfectant must not be combined with an acidic cleaner. Controls include using the right product at the right dilution, wearing gloves and eye protection when cleaning and pressure washing, standing so that spray and mist blow away from the face, and rinsing down thoroughly. The waste area COSHH assessment should cover both the cleaning chemicals and the act of pressure washing, which raises the exposure compared with wiping a surface by hand.

Bin Store Hazards and Discarded Chemicals

The bin store carries hazards beyond the products brought to clean it. Decomposing food waste produces unpleasant and potentially harmful conditions, and bins attract pests, which is why some sites use pest control products that are themselves COSHH substances. A frequent and overlooked risk is empty or part-full chemical containers thrown into general waste, which can leak, react with other waste, or expose staff and waste contractors to residues. Empty chemical containers should be rinsed and disposed of as the safety data sheet directs, and hazardous waste such as old chemicals must not simply go in the general bin. Controls also include keeping the store tidy and lockable so the public and pests are kept out, providing gloves for handling waste, and a clear instruction that no one decants or stores usable chemicals in the bin area. As elsewhere, the assessment and any relevant safety data sheets should be accessible to the staff who work the waste area.

What to do next

Set a safe routine for used cooking oil transfer

Allow oil to cool where possible, use a pump or proper transfer container, and clean spills promptly to remove the slip hazard.

Set controls for pressure washing the bin area

Require gloves and eye protection, stand so mist blows away from the face, and use the right product at the right dilution.

Dispose of chemical containers correctly

Rinse empty containers and dispose of them as the safety data sheet directs, and keep hazardous waste out of the general bin.

Common mistakes to avoid

Mistake

Throwing empty or part-full chemical containers in general waste

Instead

Containers can leak, react, or expose waste staff to residues. Rinse empties and dispose of them as the safety data sheet directs, and never bin usable chemicals.

Mistake

Pressure washing the bin area without protection

Instead

Pressure washing turns degreasers and disinfectants into an inhalable mist and drives spray at skin and eyes. Wear gloves and eye protection and stand so the spray blows away from you.

Frequently asked questions

Is used cooking oil a COSHH substance?

Used cooking oil is a COSHH consideration because it is extremely hot when drained from a fryer, posing a scald risk, and a significant slip hazard when spilled. Grease and fats from drains also carry a biological load that needs careful handling.

What chemicals are used to clean bin and waste areas?

Usually heavy-duty degreasers and disinfectants, often chlorine based because of the soiling and pest attraction. These should be assessed under COSHH, and a chlorine disinfectant must never be mixed with an acidic cleaner.

How should empty chemical containers be disposed of?

Rinse them and dispose of them as the safety data sheet directs. Empty or part-full containers should not go in general waste, where they can leak, react, or expose staff and waste contractors to residues.

Why does pressure washing the bin store raise COSHH risk?

Pressure washing turns cleaning chemicals into a fine mist that is easy to breathe in and can drive chemical and contaminated water onto skin and into eyes, so it needs gloves, eye protection, and good positioning.

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