Controls and PPE

GHS and CLP Hazard Pictograms Explained

The Nine Hazard Pictograms on Your Cleaning Chemicals and What Each One Means

Every hazardous cleaning chemical on your premises carries one or more red-bordered diamond symbols, and being able to read them at a glance is one of the most useful skills in COSHH. These are the GHS pictograms, applied in Great Britain through the CLP Regulation, and they are the same symbols you will see on the safety data sheet and the product label. There are nine of them, and each tells you something specific about the danger: corrosion, toxicity, fire, and so on. This article runs through all nine, explains what each means in a hospitality setting, and shows how to turn the pictograms into the right controls in your assessment.

Key takeaways

There are nine GHS pictograms, applied in Great Britain through the CLP Regulation, each a black symbol in a red diamond.

Four appear most in hospitality: corrosion, exclamation mark, health hazard, and gas cylinder.

The flame, oxidiser, skull and crossbones, exploding bomb, and environment symbols turn up less often but still matter.

Pictograms sit alongside a signal word and the H and P statements, which give the detail for your assessment.

Each pictogram should drive a specific control, not just be recorded on the assessment.

How the Pictogram System Works

The CLP Regulation, which carries the United Nations Globally Harmonised System into Great Britain, requires hazardous chemicals to display standard pictograms so that the danger is recognisable regardless of language or product. Each pictogram is a black symbol on a white background inside a red diamond, and a product can carry more than one. The pictograms sit alongside a signal word, either Danger or Warning, and a set of hazard statements, the H-phrases, that spell out the specific risk, and precautionary statements, the P-phrases, that tell you how to handle the product. The pictogram is the quick visual cue, but the H and P statements and the full safety data sheet give you the detail you need for the assessment. Learning the nine symbols means you can walk a cleaning cupboard and read the hazards off the bottles without reaching for a sheet every time.

The Pictograms You See Most in Hospitality

Four pictograms appear on the great majority of hospitality chemicals. The corrosion symbol, showing a substance damaging a surface and a hand, marks corrosive products such as oven cleaners, strong descalers, and drain unblockers that can burn skin and eyes or damage metals. The exclamation mark indicates a less severe hazard such as skin or eye irritation, mild toxicity, or sensitisation, and appears on many general sanitisers and detergents. The health hazard symbol, a starburst on a chest, flags more serious longer-term effects such as respiratory sensitisation or possible carcinogenicity, seen on some specialist products. The gas cylinder marks gases under pressure, which in hospitality means carbon dioxide and mixed cellar gases. Recognising these four covers most of what is on your shelves and points you straight to the controls each demands.

The Less Common but Important Symbols

The remaining five pictograms turn up less often in hospitality but still matter. The flame marks flammable products such as some aerosols, alcohol-based hand sanitisers in bulk, and certain solvents and polishes. The flame over a circle marks oxidisers, which intensify fire and need to be kept away from combustibles. The skull and crossbones marks acutely toxic substances, which are rare in mainstream hospitality cleaning but can appear in some pest control or specialist products. The exploding bomb marks explosives and certain reactive substances, almost never seen in a kitchen. The environment pictogram, a dead tree and fish, marks substances harmful to aquatic life, which is relevant when you dispose of products and is increasingly common on concentrated cleaners. Knowing these means nothing on a label is a mystery, even the products that arrive once and sit at the back of a store.

Turning Pictograms Into Controls

A pictogram is a prompt to act, not just a label to note. A corrosion symbol tells you to consider substitution for a milder product, chemical-resistant gloves and eye protection, careful storage away from food and from incompatible chemicals, and a clear splash and spill response. The gas cylinder on your cellar gas points you to ventilation, secure storage of cylinders, and gas detection in confined cellars. The flame tells you to keep the product away from heat and ignition sources and to store flammables sensibly. When you build your COSHH assessment, read the pictograms first, then the H and P statements, then the full safety data sheet, and let each one drive a specific control. A pictogram that appears in your assessment but changes nothing about how the product is handled has been recorded rather than acted on.

What to do next

Learn the four common pictograms by sight

Make sure anyone doing COSHH can recognise corrosion, the exclamation mark, the health hazard, and the gas cylinder without reaching for a sheet.

Map each pictogram on your products to a control

For every hazardous product, note what its pictograms demand: substitution, PPE, storage, ventilation, or spill response.

Check labels match the safety data sheet

When a new product arrives, confirm the pictograms on the label match the hazards in the safety data sheet before it goes into use.

Common mistakes to avoid

Mistake

Recording pictograms but not acting on them

Instead

A pictogram is a prompt for a control. A corrosion symbol should lead to chemical-resistant gloves, eye protection, and safe storage, not just a note on the form.

Mistake

Assuming a single pictogram tells the whole story

Instead

Pictograms are the quick visual cue. Read the signal word and the H and P statements as well, and check the full safety data sheet for the detail behind the symbol.

Frequently asked questions

How many GHS hazard pictograms are there?

There are nine: corrosion, exclamation mark, health hazard, gas cylinder, flame, oxidiser, skull and crossbones, exploding bomb, and the environment symbol. Each is a black symbol on a white background inside a red diamond.

What does the corrosion pictogram mean on a cleaning product?

It marks a corrosive substance that can burn skin and eyes or damage metals. In hospitality it appears on oven and grill cleaners, strong descalers, and drain unblockers, and it calls for chemical-resistant gloves, eye protection, and careful storage.

What is the difference between GHS and CLP?

GHS is the United Nations Globally Harmonised System for classifying and labelling chemicals. CLP is the regulation that puts GHS into law in Great Britain. In practice the pictograms you see on your products are the same under both.

What does the exclamation mark pictogram mean?

It indicates a less severe hazard such as skin or eye irritation, mild toxicity, or sensitisation. It appears on many everyday sanitisers and detergents and still calls for sensible handling and the controls in the safety data sheet.

Controls and PPE