Digital COSHH Assessment Templates

In this article

• What is a COSHH Assessment?
• Why Should You Perform This Process?
• Advantages of Using a Template for COSHH Assessments
• 5 Essential Elements of a COSHH Assessment Template
• How to Use This Template
• COSHH Assessment Example
• FAQs About COSHH Assessment
• Conduct COSHH Assessments with SafetyCulture Templates & Tools
• Top COSHH Assessment Templates

What is a COSHH Assessment?

A COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) Assessment, or COSHH Risk Assessment, is a health and safety evaluation process and document often used with COSHH registers. It aims to identify and evaluate hazards and risks from hazardous substances used in the workplace or produced during operational processes and devise control measures to reduce or eliminate identified risks. 

The UK’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) requires a COSHH assessment as a standard safety measure to protect employees from harmful substances and avoid adverse health effects.

Why Should You Perform This Process?

Exposure to chemical substances is a common occupational hazard. An HSE report found 6,000 self-reported cases of skin disease from 2015 to 2018 due to hazardous substance exposure. Skin disease from chemical exposure has profound detrimental effects on workers’ daily activities, ability to work, and self-image. Occupations most affected include metalworkers, machine operators, and other industrial workers dealing with hazardous substances. Performing COSHH assessments can ensure a safer workspace that can help boost employee productivity and morale.

Advantages of Using a Template for COSHH Assessments

COSHH assessments are crucial for identifying hazards associated with hazardous substances. This audit can, however, be time-consuming and complex if you lack the necessary expertise and knowledge. In those situations, a COSHH assessment template can be incredibly useful. 

Using a COSHH assessment template can help you:

• Save time – With a template, you no longer have to spend hours creating a new file from scratch, as it already covers the necessary information and sections for a COSHH assessment. Instead, you simply need to record the specific details about your workplace and the hazardous substances you use or handle.
• Improve accuracy – Apart from speeding up the process, using a template also reduces the risk of overlooking crucial information or sections in the assessment. Throughout this document, prompts or questions help you identify all potential hazards, ensuring that all sections are completed as required.
• Ensure consistency – The standardized format of these templates creates a structure for COSHH assessments, making them more systematic and organized. This way, it becomes easier to determine anything that stands out or common themes/trends across assessments.

5 Essential Elements of a COSHH Assessment Template

An efficient COSHH assessment should document these 5 essential elements:

1. Detailed listing of hazardous substances present in the workplace
2. Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs) and health risks
3. Control measures to be implemented (PPE, First Aid Measures)
4. Information on proper storage, handling, and disposal of chemicals
5. Authorization by employer or supervisor

How to Use This Template

Using a COSHH assessment template is easy once you have your template ready. Below is a step-by-step guide:

1. Identify existing hazardous substances.

Start filling out the COSHH assessment template by identifying all hazardous substances at work, such as chemicals, dust, fumes, and biological agents. Even small amounts of hazardous materials pose a threat, so it is crucial to identify them comprehensively.

2. Assess the risks.

After identifying all hazardous substances, the next step is evaluating their risks. This involves considering factors like potential exposure, toxicity, and likelihood of harm associated with each substance. Apart from considering the work being done by workers, the assessment should also look at their specific tasks and activities, since these can affect the risk level.

3. Implement controls.

Using the results of the risk assessment, the team can develop and implement controls to manage or eliminate the identified risks, such as but not limited to:

• Using personal protective equipment (PPE)
• Changing work practices or procedures
• Modifying the physical environment

4. Review and revise.

Lastly, COSHH assessments are not one-off events. Therefore, they must be reviewed and revised regularly to ensure they remain valid and effective. These revisions can happen due to new hazardous substances in the workplace or changes in work procedures.

COSHH Assessment Example

Now that you know how to use a template for COSHH assessments, it’s time to put that knowledge into practice. The COSHH form example below shows how a hazardous substance can be identified, controlled, and evaluated in a systematic manner:

Step 1: Hazard Identification
Chemical name	Metalworking fluids (MWFs)
What will the chemical be used for?	To cool and/or lubricate metalwork pieces when they are being machined, ground, milled, etc.
Who may be exposed?	Metalworkers
Hazardous properties (How could the substance cause harm? E.g., inhalation, skin contact, flammability, carcinogen, allergen)	MWFs are severely solvent-refined petroleum oils and are combinations of 30% to 85% severely refined lubricant-base oils. Dermatitis, occupational asthma, bronchitis, irritation of the upper respiratory tract, breathing difficulties, or, rarely, a more serious lung disease called extrinsic allergic alveolitis (EAA).
Quantity (How much of the substance will be used?)	100 gallons
Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs)	0.4 mg/m3 for thoracic particulate mass (the portion of the aerosol that penetrates below the larynx)
Emergency procedures for:	Inhalation, skin contact
What are emergency procedures needed?	In case of any serious contact: Wash off the part of the body where the MWF got in contact. Wear clean clothes on the job and immediately wash clothes that have been contaminated with metalworking fluids. Avoid placing metalworking fluid-soaked rags in pockets. Wear protective aprons and nitrile gloves when possible. Wash soiled skin areas at least twice daily with a mild, nonabrasive soap.
Step 2: Methods of Prevention or Control of Exposure
Engineering controls required	Total containment, Fume cupboard, Local exhaust ventilation
Access control	Restricted to competent personnel
Special procedures	SOP, Code of Practice, local rules, etc.
Approved PPE	Gloves, Eye protection, Laboratory coat
Disposal Procedures	All containers submitted for disposal must be clearly labeled with the complete chemical name(s) of all waste in the container or product name if an MSDS is either submitted or available to EHS. A correctly completed EHS waste tag will fill this requirement. All containers must be in good condition without leaks, the outside of the container must be free from contamination, and lids or covers must be securely in place. Original containers should be used whenever possible.
Are chemicals with risk phrases R50-R59 or hazard statements H400 – H413 (environmental hazards) involved?	Yes
Training Requirements	To be planned next week.
Handling and Storage Requirements	Needs to be coordinated with the responsible team.
Step 3: Assessment of Risk Using Controls Detailed Above
Are the hazards/risks suitably controlled, using the control measures detailed above?	Yes

For a full view of this example, check this sample COSHH assessment report in PDF format.