Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002
Managing chemical safety in the workplace
The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) require employers to control substances that can harm workers health. In hospitality, this primarily covers cleaning chemicals, sanitisers, descalers, oven cleaners, pest control products, and other chemicals commonly used in kitchens, bars, and housekeeping. COSHH also covers biological agents (such as harmful bacteria) and dust. Employers must assess the risks from hazardous substances, put controls in place to prevent or adequately control exposure, and ensure those controls are used and maintained. For each hazardous substance, employers should obtain and keep the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) from the supplier, conduct a COSHH assessment, and implement appropriate control measures. COSHH assessments must be reviewed regularly, particularly when processes change or new chemicals are introduced.
Key Requirements
Assess the risks from hazardous substances
Employers must identify all hazardous substances used or produced in the workplace, assess the risks they pose to health, and determine the level of exposure.
Prevent or adequately control exposure
Where possible, eliminate the use of hazardous substances or substitute with less hazardous alternatives. Where this is not possible, use controls such as ventilation, PPE, and safe working procedures.
Provide information, instruction, and training
Employees must be given information about the hazardous substances they work with, including the risks and the precautions they need to take.
Maintain safety data sheets (SDS)
Obtain and keep current safety data sheets from suppliers for all hazardous substances used. These must be accessible to employees.
Monitor exposure where necessary
For substances with workplace exposure limits, employers may need to carry out monitoring to ensure limits are not exceeded.
Health surveillance where appropriate
Where employees are exposed to substances known to cause specific diseases, health surveillance may be required to detect early signs of ill health.
What Your Business Must Do
Create a chemical inventory
List every chemical product used in your business. This includes cleaning products, sanitisers, descalers, oven cleaners, and pest control products.
Obtain safety data sheets for all products
Get the current SDS from the supplier for every chemical product. These provide essential information about hazards, safe handling, storage, and first aid.
Conduct COSHH assessments
For each hazardous substance, assess who might be harmed, how, and what controls are needed. Document your assessments.
Implement control measures
Put controls in place such as ventilation, PPE (gloves, eye protection), locked storage for concentrated chemicals, and clear labelling.
Train staff on safe chemical handling
Train all staff who handle chemicals on safe use, storage, dilution, PPE requirements, and emergency procedures (spills, first aid).
Review assessments regularly
Review COSHH assessments at least annually and whenever you change products, processes, or introduce new chemicals.
Penalties for Non-Compliance
Failure to carry out COSHH assessments
HSE can issue improvement notices. Prosecution can result in an unlimited fine. For serious breaches, up to 2 years imprisonment.
Failure to control exposure to hazardous substances
Unlimited fine on conviction. If exposure leads to employee illness or injury, additional civil claims and compensation may follow.
Failure to provide adequate training and information
Improvement notices and prosecution with an unlimited fine. HSE and local authority inspectors check training records.
Failure to maintain safety data sheets
Improvement notice. Persistent non-compliance can result in prohibition notices and prosecution.
How Paddl Helps
Digital COSHH management
Store all COSHH assessments, safety data sheets, and chemical inventories digitally. AI can extract key safety data from SDS documents automatically.
Staff training tracking
Track COSHH training completion for every team member with reminders for refresher training.
Risk assessment tools
Create and manage COSHH risk assessments with templates, ensuring you cover all required elements.
Compliance dashboard
See at a glance which COSHH assessments are up to date, which need reviewing, and which staff need training.
Frequently Asked Questions
What substances are covered by COSHH?
COSHH covers chemicals, products containing chemicals, fumes, dusts, vapours, mists, nanotechnology, gases, biological agents (germs that cause diseases), and any material mixture or compound used at work that can harm peoples health. In hospitality, this primarily means cleaning chemicals, sanitisers, and other products used in kitchens and housekeeping.
Do I need a COSHH assessment for every product?
You need a COSHH assessment for every product that poses a risk to health. You can group similar products (e.g. all general-purpose cleaning sprays) into a single assessment if the risks and controls are the same. Very low-risk products like ordinary soap may not need a formal assessment.
How often should COSHH assessments be reviewed?
Review assessments at least annually and whenever you change a product, change a process, or become aware of new information about a substance. Also review after any incident involving a chemical, such as a spill or an employee reaction.
Who enforces COSHH in hospitality?
For most hospitality businesses, COSHH is enforced by local authority Environmental Health teams. The HSE may also be involved in larger operations. Both have the power to inspect, issue notices, and prosecute.
Stay compliant with COSHH 2002
Paddl makes regulatory compliance simple. Digital records, automated reminders, and audit-ready documentation — all in one platform built for UK hospitality.