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COSHH

COSHH stands for Control of Substances Hazardous to Health. It is the law that requires every UK employer to prevent or adequately control their staff's exposure to hazardous substances, and to write down how they do it.

Last reviewed 2 September 2026

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What COSHH covers

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (as amended) apply to any substance that can harm health. That includes:

  • Chemicals and products that carry a hazard label, such as bleach, oven cleaner, solvents and hair developer.
  • Dust and fume produced by work, such as wood dust, silica dust, welding fume and flour dust.
  • Biological agents, such as bacteria and viruses in care and cleaning work.
  • Substances with a workplace exposure limit listed in HSE document EH40.

Asbestos, lead and radioactive substances are covered by their own regulations, not COSHH.

What the law requires

The regulations set out a sequence. Each step is a legal duty on the employer.

  1. Assess the risk before work starts and record the significant findings (regulation 6).
  2. Prevent or adequately control exposure, following the hierarchy of control (regulation 7).
  3. Use and maintain the control measures, including examining local exhaust ventilation at least every 14 months (regulations 8 and 9).
  4. Monitor exposure where needed (regulation 10) and provide health surveillance where appropriate (regulation 11).
  5. Inform, instruct and train everyone who may be exposed (regulation 12).
  6. Plan for accidents, incidents and emergencies (regulation 13).

The full text is on legislation.gov.uk and HSE publishes the Approved Code of Practice, L5, which explains how to comply.

Start with the assessment

If you have never done one, the assessment is the first step. Our generator uses hazard data from the ECHA classification inventory and HSE EH40, suggests controls in the order the law requires, and produces a PDF you can sign and file. It takes a few minutes per substance.

COSHH pages

COSHH in your sector

Common questions

What does COSHH stand for?
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health. It is the short name for the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, which apply across Great Britain.
Who has to comply with COSHH?
Every employer and self employed person whose work exposes anyone to a substance hazardous to health. That includes cleaning products, dust, fumes and biological agents, not just industrial chemicals.
What is a COSHH assessment?
A written record of the hazardous substances used at work, who could be harmed and how, and the measures in place to prevent or adequately control exposure. Regulation 6 requires one before work starts.
How often should a COSHH assessment be reviewed?
Regularly, and immediately if there is reason to think it is no longer valid, for example a new product, a new process or a health problem. Many employers review annually.
Does COSHH cover asbestos, lead and radiation?
No. Asbestos, lead and radioactive substances have their own regulations. COSHH covers most other hazardous substances.