What is a COSHH Register Template?
A Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) register template is a preformatted and reproducible document that can help centralize your records of all hazardous substances present in your workplace. It details instructions on how to handle them safely as well as the risks associated with them.
Importance and Benefits
Substances such as dust, gases, fumes, liquids, gels, and powders that can come into contact with human skin can easily cause harm, infection, and allergies. For this reason, they need to be controlled and regulated in their use.
One way to do this is through the use of a COSHH register template. The primary purpose of this template is to ensure the health and safety of workers by minimizing the risks associated with hazardous substances easily. It is also based on the UK’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) COSHH regulations, which detail the necessary controls to be used for different harmful materials that people are exposed to in different workplaces, thus able to help with complying with safety standards.
Additionally, a COSHH register template serves as a valuable reference for risk assessments and incident investigations. In the event of an accident or near-miss involving hazardous substances, the register can aid in identifying the cause, evaluating the adequacy of control measures, and implementing corrective actions to prevent future occurrences. In a templated format, a COSHH register is easier to reproduce and acts as a comprehensive record that enables organizations to continuously improve their safety protocols and protect their workforce.
Using a COSHH register template also helps streamline communication and transparency in the workplace. If disseminated properly, it can help provide essential information to employees, supervisors, and health and safety professionals regarding the necessary precautions to take for each hazardous substance. This ensures that everyone is aware of the potential dangers and can take appropriate measures to protect oneself and one another.
What to Include in a COSHH Register Template
Following the HSE’s regulations, a COSHH register template should ideally contain fields for the following:
- Location of workplace
- Name of the substance to be used
- Storage location of the substance
- Location or details of hazard sheets related to substance
- Name of person or people preparing the template
For a more streamlined documentation process, a COSHH register template can have these fields repeated for easier identification, or the document itself can be reproduced multiple times as needed. It would be best to create and manage yours on a digital platform to do so, as this way, you can reduce paper waste and be assured your files are all in one place, easily accessible.
Here is a COSHH register template in use for your reference:
Common Uses for a COSHH Register Template
According to the UK HSE, a COSHH register template form is often used for the following industries:
- Paving companies and similar service providers
- Die-casting providers and other similar companies
- Electronics
- Fruit farms
- Warehousing
- Feed mills
- DIY shops, workshops, and similar service providers
- Engineering
- Gardening
- Culinary
FAQs about COSHH Register Templates
A COSHH register template is for listing down identified safety risks in the workplace. On the other hand, a COSHH risk assessment template is for creating and managing a process or framework for identifying, evaluating, and prioritizing these risks.
The UK HSE recommends that employers review their COSHH registers and other related forms regularly to ensure it is kept updated. This can be done annually, depending on the industry and the needs of your business.
However, if there is reason to believe that your COSHH register needs to be updated, it should be done immediately. Common reasons for this include a change in management, a change in materials being used and handled, and newly identified risks.
The term COSHH was coined in the UK and is often associated with it, but it has similarities with laws from other regions around the world under different circumstances and names. For example, the US Occupational and Safety Health Administration (OSHA) has similar regulations for controlling hazardous substances, and so do other countries.
