How use a COSHH Assessment Template

              

COSHH Assessment Template

COSHH stands for Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations and is a health and safety document written for individual substances. A COSHH assessment must be written for each substance used. For example, wood dust from sanding would require a COSHH Assessment. 

However, a COSHH Assessment on wood dust would not address hazards from tile cutting dust, so a separate assessment would need to be written for each type of dust. 

A Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) assessment is a comprehensive risk evaluation designed to identify potential health risks to employees from exposure to hazardous substances in the workplace. This assessment is a legal requirement, mandating that employers identify, assess, and implement controls for risks associated with these substances.

The COSHH Regulations 2002 (as amended) obligate employers to thoroughly assess the risks posed by hazardous substances. A COSHH assessment encompasses various substances, including chemicals, fumes, dusts, mists, and biological agents.

The assessment process involves several key steps: identifying the hazardous substances present or generated in the workplace, evaluating the associated health risks, and determining the necessary control measures to reduce exposure and mitigate harm. Factors considered include the type of substance, its mode of use, potential exposure scenarios, and the different routes of exposure, such as inhalation or skin contact.

Control measures may encompass a range of approaches, including eliminating the hazardous substance, substituting safer alternatives, engineering controls—like improved ventilation systems—and administrative controls, such as employee training. Personal protective equipment (PPE) is often included in the protection strategy.

COSHH assessments need to be documented, particularly in larger businesses, and undergo periodic review or reassessment when significant changes occur in the workplace or processes.

In this blog, we will walk through the five steps of a COSHH Assessment, the COSHH symbols and how often you need to write a COSHH Assessment.

COSHH Assessment Templates

According to HSE, if your business uses or creates substances or carries out processes where substances might cause harm to health, the law requires you to control the risks to employees, and you do so by writing a COSHH Assessment.

Below are the key steps in using a COSHH Assessment Template:

• Company name and project name: At the top of your COSHH Assessment Template, you need to detail your company name and the name of the project ( e.g. a school or community centre) so that it is clear to any reader precisely what the assessment is covering.
• Substance/material: Underneath the company name, you need to detail the substance or material you are writing the assessment on, such as cement. 
• Manufacturers' Details: Next, you need to record the manufacturer's name, address, and the contact number of the person who produced the substance or material in the COSHH Assessment Template.
• Product contents: You need to add the product's contents that are deemed dangerous to health to the COSHH Assessment Template. You should be able to source this information from the product data sheets produced by the product's manufacturers.
• Exposure limits: The product data sheet should specify whether there are any exposure limits for the product being assessed. Record this significant detail next to the product contents if there is an exposure limit.
• Where has the product been used? In the next section, please specify the environment in which the product was used. The options usually include outside, inside, well-ventilated, poorly ventilated, or confined spaces. 
• How have the products been used? You need to clarify on the COSHH Assessment Template how the product will be used or applied, for example, mixing, pouring, spraying, brushing, applying with a tool, or applying by hand.
• Product State: Next, you need to record the product's state, indicating whether it was in solid, liquid, or gas form. 
• Hazard Symbols: The next stage involves identifying the relevant hazard symbols associated with the material or product used.
  For more information on the hazard symbols and their definitions, click here.
• PPE: You must record on the COSHH Assessment Template the relevant personal protective equipment (PPE) worn when using this material or product. At this point, it is also essential to specify whether different personal protective equipment (PPE) should be worn when the product is used in various environments.
• When is the product hazardous to health? Each product is unique and may not become hazardous until it is placed under specific conditions, such as high temperatures. At this stage in the COSHH health and safety document, you need to record on the COSHH Assessment Template when the product is hazardous and identify the health risks associated with it, including medical conditions that can be aggravated or worsened by exposure to the product.
• First Aid and Emergency Measures: Following the previous section, you can now identify the relevant first aid procedures and explanations on how to implement them in an emergency. This is important so that the person using the material knows what to do if one of the risks becomes a reality.
• Type of Extinguisher: If the material or product being written about is flammable, this is the point where you would identify the correct fire extinguisher to use. This section can also include fire precautions recommended for this product, which the user can implement before the fire brigade arrives to reduce the risk of injury.
• Signatures: The final stage of the COSHH Assessment Template is to sign and date the document.

For a helpful and informative video on how to write a COSHH Assessment, click here.