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COSHH

COSHH register template

A COSHH register is a list of every hazardous substance you use or store, with one line each: where it is used and stored, its assessment and when the review is due. Print the blank, or build the register online from the assessments you make here.

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Last reviewed 20 October 2026

COSHH register example: eight assessments
RefProduct or substanceWhere used and storedTask
COSHH-004Sodium hypochloriteStaff and customer washroomsCleaning toilets, urinals and washroom floors with thick bleach at the end of the daySee the assessment
COSHH-011IsopropanolCorridors, resident rooms, sluice, kitchen entrance; stock in the housekeeping storeHand decontamination between residents using gel from wall dispensers; refilling dispensers from 5 litre containersSee the assessment
COSHH-002Sodium hydroxideMain kitchen, oven and grill sectionSpraying and wiping oven interiors and grill plates with caustic cleaner after evening serviceSee the assessment
COSHH-003Hydrogen peroxideDispensary and salon floorMixing developer with bleach powder or colour in the dispensary and applying at the chairSee the assessment
COSHH-001Wood dustJoinery workshop, 80 m², single roomCutting and machining hardwood, softwood and MDF on a table saw, planer and router; hand and orbital sanding; cleaning the workshopSee the assessment
COSHH-007Respirable crystalline silicaExternal works area on a housing siteCutting concrete blocks and paving slabs with a petrol cut off sawSee the assessment
COSHH-005Welding fumeFabrication workshopMIG welding mild steel frames and brackets on a fabrication bench and occasionally on the floor for large itemsSee the assessment
COSHH-006PetrolOutside the equipment store; refuelling on site as neededRefuelling mowers, strimmers, blowers and a generator from 10 litre jerry cansSee the assessment

Assessments you make in the generator are saved to your own register, with revisions, review dates and the data sheet alongside each one.

What a COSHH register is

A COSHH register is a list of every substance hazardous to health that your business uses or stores, with a line for each one pointing to its assessment. It is the index; the assessments are the detail. Some businesses call it a COSHH inventory or a hazardous substances list; the content is the same. An inspector, an auditor or a client will usually ask for the register first and then pick assessments from it.

Is a register a legal requirement?

The COSHH Regulations 2002 do not use the word register. Regulation 6 requires a suitable and sufficient assessment of every hazardous substance before work starts, and requires you to keep it under review. In practice you cannot show you have assessed every substance without a list of what you hold, so HSE guidance and most inspectors expect one. Treat the register as the evidence that regulation 6 has been met across the whole site.

What a register should contain

  • Product or substance name and supplier.
  • Where it is used and stored, and roughly how much is held.
  • The hazard pictograms and signal word from the label.
  • The safety data sheet itself, attached to the assessment. It came with the product, and inspectors expect to see the two together.
  • The assessment reference, the date it was done and the review date.

How often to review it

Review each line when the product, the task or the people doing it change, and at least once a year even if nothing has. Add new products to the register before they are used, not after. Remove a line only when the product has gone from site and the last stock has been disposed of.

Paper or online

The blank PDF above is a landscape table with the columns listed. Fill it in by hand and keep it in the COSHH folder with the assessments and data sheets. The online register builds itself from the assessments you make in the generator, keeps revisions, warns when a review is due, and prints to the same layout. It is saved in your browser, with a backup file you can restore on another device.