COSHH Regulation and Duties

The COSHH Regulations 2002 Explained

What the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 Require

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, almost always shortened to COSHH, are the main law covering the use of hazardous substances at work in Great Britain. They sit under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and apply to every employer, from a two-person cafe to a hotel group. For a hospitality business the substances in scope are mostly the cleaning chemicals, sanitisers, descalers, oven cleaners, and cellar gases used every day, plus things created by work such as flour dust. This article sets out what the 2002 Regulations actually say, which substances they cover, and what an environmental health officer or HSE inspector is checking when they ask to see your COSHH paperwork.

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Key takeaways

COSHH 2002 is the main law on hazardous substances at work and applies to every hospitality employer.

It covers cleaning chemicals, sanitisers, descalers, cellar gases, and work-generated dusts and fumes, but not asbestos, lead, or radioactive material.

The core duty is to assess the risk, prevent exposure where you can, and control it adequately where you cannot.

Control follows a hierarchy, with elimination and substitution ahead of ventilation and protective equipment last.

COSHH works alongside food safety law and your general risk assessments, and inspectors check the duties, not a specific form.

What the Regulations Cover and What They Do Not

COSHH covers substances that are hazardous to health, including chemicals classified as toxic, corrosive, harmful, or irritant, biological agents, and dusts or fumes generated by work. In a kitchen or bar that means degreasers, sanitisers, descalers, drain cleaners, dishwasher and glasswash products, line cleaner, carbon dioxide, and flour dust. The Regulations do not cover asbestos, lead, or radioactive substances, which each have their own dedicated legislation, and they do not cover a substance that is only dangerous because it is hot, sharp, or under pressure. They also do not apply where the only hazard is fire or explosion, which is dealt with under the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations. Knowing the boundary matters because it tells you exactly which products belong in your COSHH assessment and which are handled by another part of your health and safety system.

The Core Requirement: Assess and Control Exposure

The heart of COSHH is a simple chain of duties. You must assess the risk from hazardous substances before work starts, prevent exposure where you reasonably can, and where you cannot prevent it, control it adequately. Control follows a set order, the hierarchy of control, which puts eliminating or substituting a substance ahead of engineering controls such as ventilation, and puts personal protective equipment last as a backstop rather than a first answer. Once controls are in place you must keep them working, which means maintaining equipment, checking that controls are used, and in some cases monitoring exposure or carrying out health surveillance. For most hospitality businesses the practical version of this chain is an honest assessment of the chemicals on the premises, sensible substitution where possible, correct dilution and storage, and the right gloves and eye protection where needed.

How COSHH Fits With Your Other Duties

COSHH does not stand alone. It works alongside the general duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act to protect employees and others, and alongside the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, which require risk assessment more broadly. In a food business it also overlaps with food safety law, because cleaning chemicals are stored and used in the same spaces as food, and an environmental health officer will often look at both together. The practical message is that COSHH is part of the same management system as your food safety management system and your general risk assessments, not a separate file you produce only when an inspector asks. Treating it as a live part of how you run the premises is what keeps you on the right side of the law.

What an Inspector Checks Against the Regulations

When an inspector reviews COSHH, they are testing whether you have met the duties in the Regulations, not whether you have a particular form. They will look for a current assessment that reflects the substances actually on site, the safety data sheets that back it up, evidence that staff have been trained on the chemicals they use, and proof that controls are real rather than written. They will often spot-check by looking under sinks and behind the bar for unlabelled decanted bottles, which are a quick sign of whether the system is genuine. A blank, generic, or out-of-date assessment is read as a failure to assess and control exposure, which is the central obligation of the 2002 Regulations and the point on which enforcement usually turns.

What to do next

Confirm which of your products are in COSHH scope

List every hazardous chemical and work-generated dust or fume, and note the few items handled under separate rules such as fire or pressure hazards.

Check your assessment against the core duty

Make sure it shows you have assessed risk, prevented exposure where possible, and controlled what remains in the right order.

Link COSHH to your wider safety system

Keep COSHH in the same management routine as your food safety and general risk assessments rather than as a one-off document.

Common mistakes to avoid

Mistake

Treating COSHH as a single form rather than a set of duties

Instead

The Regulations require you to assess and control exposure and keep controls working. A completed form with no real controls behind it does not meet the duty.

Mistake

Including substances that have their own separate legislation

Instead

Asbestos, lead, and radioactive material are outside COSHH. Knowing the boundary keeps your assessment focused on the products it should actually cover.

Frequently asked questions

What does COSHH stand for?

COSHH stands for the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002. It is the main piece of British law governing the use of hazardous substances at work, including the cleaning chemicals and gases used in hospitality.

Does COSHH apply to small restaurants and cafes?

Yes. The Regulations apply to every employer that uses hazardous substances, with no exemption for small businesses. A cafe that uses sanitiser and degreaser is covered just as much as a large hotel.

What is the main duty under the COSHH Regulations 2002?

The central duty is to assess the risk from hazardous substances and either prevent exposure or, where that is not reasonably practicable, control it adequately using the hierarchy of control, then keep those controls working over time.

Does COSHH cover dust and fumes as well as chemicals?

Yes. Substances created by work, such as flour dust when baking or fumes and mist from cleaning, are covered as well as the products you buy in. They should be assessed alongside your cleaning chemicals.

COSHH Regulation and Duties