What is COSHH? It might sound like another obscure workplace acronym, but the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health regulations saves lives. COSHH regulations require employers to control exposure to hazardous materials in the workplace. COSHH is more than just regulations, it’s a framework that directly impacts the health and wellbeing of your workforce. This doesn’t just apply to large industrial plants or chemical labs. Hair salons, schools and cleaning companies often use substances that could, in the wrong hands or without proper handling, be dangerous. COSHH is the rulebook that keeps those risks in check.
Why it matters
Skin problems, respiratory issues, even long-term illnesses like cancer can all result from poor control of substances in the workplace. Beyond the human cost, there’s also the legal and financial fallout of non-compliance. If an employee becomes unwell because proper procedures weren’t in place, the consequences can have financial implications and cause long-lasting damage to a company’s reputation. COSHH compliance ensures your staff aren’t going home at night worrying about the fumes they inhaled or the chemicals they touched.
Defining a hazardous substance
So what actually counts as a hazardous substance? The answer might surprise you. It isn’t just the obvious corrosive chemicals or acids stored in locked cupboards. Everyday items like paint, cleaning products, fumes from welding or even dust from construction work can fall under COSHH if they pose a risk to health. It’s about the effect these substances have, not just what they are. Could they cause skin irritation? Could someone breathe them in over time and develop asthma? Could they catch fire, explode or release toxic fumes in an accident? If the answer to any of these is yes, then they fall under COSHH and need to be treated accordingly.
The COSHH assessment
This is where the COSHH assessment comes into play. It’s essentially your roadmap for handling hazardous substances responsibly. Carrying out an assessment involves identifying substances used in the workplace, understanding the risks they pose and deciding how those risks can be eliminated or controlled. It should be proportionate to the risk involved. For example, a hair salon using peroxide-based dyes needs to consider very different controls to a large manufacturing plant working with industrial solvents. The goal is to make informed decisions about how to protect people from harm, because making assumptions or just “winging it” isn’t good enough when health is on the line.
Preventing exposure
Once the risks are known, prevention becomes the focus. The most effective way to reduce harm is to eliminate the risk altogether. If a safer alternative can be used, use it. If a task can be automated to reduce human contact, automate it. But when elimination isn’t possible, controlling exposure is the next best thing. This can involve proper ventilation systems, protective gear like gloves or masks or isolating the hazardous process from the rest of the workforce. The approach should always be layered, don’t rely on just one control method when you can use several that work together. Importantly, these measures must be maintained and monitored. A broken extraction fan won’t be fixed if no one realises that it’s stopped working.
Monitoring exposure
Monitoring is essential when exposure is difficult to gauge or where health risks are high. It involves taking air samples, testing surfaces and reviewing biological indicators from employees (like blood or urine tests) to see if they’ve been exposed to hazardous substances.
Not every workplace needs this level of scrutiny. But in industries like manufacturing, agriculture, or construction, monitoring can be the only way to get a true picture of what’s happening. Monitoring isn’t just about compliance, it’s about reassurance and understanding whether your controls are actually working.
Emergency preparedness
No matter how many precautions you take, emergencies can still happen. Spills, leaks, accidental exposures, they’re all possible. What matters is how prepared you are when they do.
COSHH regulations require you to have emergency procedures in place. That means having clear steps for staff to follow, accessible safety data sheets for all hazardous materials and first aid measures ready to go. It also means ensuring the right people are trained to use this information in the moment, without hesitation. Because in an emergency, panic is your worst enemy. Preparation is your best friend.
Training your team
That leads us to a critical, and often overlooked, piece of the puzzle: training. Employees don’t just need to know that a substance is dangerous, they need to know how to handle it, why certain precautions are in place and what to do if something goes wrong. This isn’t about giving them a manual to read and hoping they remember it. It’s about clear, practical training tailored to their specific roles. When staff are trained well, not only do they protect themselves better, but they’re also more confident, more alert and more likely to spot problems early. It creates a culture where safety is second nature, not an afterthought.
The role of health surveillance
Health surveillance is the process of regularly testing employees for early signs of work-related illness. This could include skin, blood and urine, eye, hearing and lung function tests, or even simple health questionnaires. It’s especially important in environments where harmful exposure might not present immediately. By tracking health over time, you can spot patterns, take early action and protect your workforce from long-term harm. Surveillance also gives employers data to improve risk assessments and demonstrates a genuine commitment to staff welfare, a factor that can improve retention and morale.
Wrapping it up
To put it simply, COSHH isn’t just about compliance, it’s about people. It’s about creating workspaces where employees can feel safe, supported and protected from invisible dangers. It’s about showing that health isn’t just a box to tick, it’s a value you hold at the heart of your business. At MOHS Workplace Health, we know how much businesses in the West Midlands care about their people. COSHH is just one of the many ways you can put that care into action. Because when you control hazardous substances, you’re not just protecting health, you’re building trust, and that’s something every successful business is built on. To find out about how we can help you, click the link below: