COSHH Assessment Template UK: What It Must Cover and How to Use It
If you work with adhesives, solvents, cement, oils, cleaning products or any other hazardous substance, you are legally required to assess the risk before work begins. The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) place that duty on employers and the self-employed. A COSHH assessment template helps you structure that process — but only if it captures everything the Regulations actually require.
What COSHH Actually Requires
Under COSHH 2002 regulation 6, you must not carry out work liable to expose employees to any substance hazardous to health unless you have made a "suitable and sufficient" assessment of the risks. That assessment must consider:
- The hazardous properties of the substance (from the Safety Data Sheet, or SDS)
- Who is exposed and how — inhalation, skin absorption, ingestion, injection
- The level, type and duration of exposure
- The effect of any control measures already in place
- The results of any relevant health surveillance or exposure monitoring
A template does not make an assessment suitable and sufficient by itself. It is a framework; the site-specific information you put into it is what gives it legal value.
What a Good COSHH Assessment Template Should Include
A well-structured UK COSHH assessment template will typically contain the following sections.
1. Substance identification Product name, supplier, SDS reference and date. The SDS (required under the UK REACH regulation) is your primary source of hazard data — attach it or reference it directly.
2. Hazard classification GHS/CLP hazard categories: flammable, acute toxic, skin sensitiser, carcinogen, respiratory sensitiser, and so on. Do not skip carcinogens or asthmagens — these trigger additional duties under COSHH regs 7 and 11.
3. Who is exposed Name the roles and a realistic estimate of the number of people. Include bystanders, other trades on site, and anyone nearby — not just the person applying the product.
4. Route and duration of exposure How does the substance enter the body, and for how long each shift? Inhalation during spray application is very different from brief skin contact during cleanup.
5. Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs) Where a WEL exists (published in EH40, HSE's approved list), note the 8-hour TWA and/or short-term exposure limit. You must ensure exposure is reduced at least to below the WEL — and for carcinogens and asthmagens, as far below as reasonably practicable.
6. Control measures — in hierarchy order This is the core of the assessment. Work through the hierarchy:
| Priority | Example controls |
|---|---|
| Eliminate | Switch to a water-based product; remove the process |
| Substitute | Lower-VOC adhesive; pre-mixed rather than powder cement |
| Engineering | Local exhaust ventilation (LEV); enclosed mixing station |
| Administrative | Restrict access; rotate workers; limit task duration |
| PPE | Gloves (correct EN standard), RPE (correct FFP/APF rating) |
PPE sits at the bottom because it only protects the wearer and relies entirely on correct use and maintenance. Engineering controls protect everyone regardless of behaviour.
7. Emergency arrangements First aid measures from the SDS. Spillage procedure. Nearest eyewash point. Who to call.
8. Disposal Many hazardous substances generate hazardous waste. Note the correct disposal route under the Hazardous Waste Regulations 2005.
9. Signature, review date and reassessment trigger Who assessed it, when, and when it will next be reviewed. Reassess whenever the product, process, task duration or workforce changes.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Copying a generic template without reading the SDS. A template for "general solvent" is not a COSHH assessment for the specific two-part epoxy resin you are actually using. Product-specific hazard data is non-negotiable.
Jumping straight to PPE. Gloves and a half-face respirator are easy to list, but if LEV would control the exposure at source, that should come first.
Ignoring skin sensitisers and asthmagens. Products containing isocyanates (common in spray foam, PU coatings and some adhesives) or epoxy resins are respiratory or skin sensitisers. Once a worker is sensitised, even tiny exposures can trigger a severe reaction. COSHH reg 7(1) requires exposure to these substances to be prevented or, where that is not reasonably practicable, adequately controlled — not merely reduced.
Forgetting maintenance and cleaning tasks. These often involve higher exposures than the primary task. They need their own COSHH assessment entry.
No review process. An assessment signed in 2019 for a product that has since changed formulation is not suitable and sufficient.
Templates vs Assessments: The Distinction That Matters
A template is a blank form. An assessment is a completed, site-specific, substance-specific document signed by a competent person. When an HSE inspector or a principal contractor asks for your COSHH assessment, they want the completed version — not a blank form.
For short-duration, low-hazard tasks with a single well-understood substance, a simple one-page completed assessment is perfectly adequate. Complexity should match actual risk, not paperwork convention.
Where to Find Reliable SDS and Exposure Data
- Product SDS: always request the current version from the supplier
- EH40 Workplace Exposure Limits: free to download from HSE's website
- COSHH essentials (HSE's online tool): useful for low-complexity assessments
- BOHS (British Occupational Hygiene Society): technical guidance for higher-risk exposures
Getting your COSHH assessment right from the start protects your workers, satisfies your legal duty under COSHH 2002, and gives you a defensible record if something ever goes wrong.