Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (as amended) (or Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 (as amended)) (COSHH).
Using chemicals or other hazardous substances at work can put people’s health at risk, so the law requires employers to control exposure to hazardous substances to prevent ill health. They have to protect both employees and others who may be exposed by complying with the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (as amended) (or Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003 (as amended)). Both regulations are identical and are both referred to as COSHH.
If you, as an employer, fail to adequately control hazardous substances, your employees or others may become ill. Effects from hazardous substances range from mild eye irritation to chronic lung disease or, on occasions, death. This may:
- Result in lost productivity to your business
- Leave you liable to enforcement action, including prosecution under the COSHH Regulations
- Result in civil claims from your employees
There can be positive benefits to your business from carefully following through the requirements of COSHH, such as:
- Improved productivity as a result of using more effective controls (e.g. less use of raw material)
- Improved employee morale
- Better employee understanding and compliance with health and safety requirements
Hazardous substances
Hazardous substances include:
- Substances used directly in work activities (e.g. adhesives, paints, cleaning agents)
- Substances generated during work activities (e.g. fumes from soldering and welding)
- Naturally occurring substances (e.g. grain dust)
- Biological agents such as bacteria and other micro-organisms
Where are hazardous substances found?
Hazardous substances are found in nearly all work environments, for example:
- Factories
- Shops
- Mines
- Farms
- Laboratories
- Offices
Effects of hazardous substances
Examples of the effects of hazardous substances include:
- Skin irritation or dermatitis as a result of skin contact
- Asthma as a result of developing allergy to substances used at work
- Losing consciousness as a result of being overcome by toxic fumes
- Cancer, which may appear long after the exposure to the chemical that caused it
- Infection from bacteria and other micro-organisms (biological agents)
Substances hazardous to health under COSHH
Under COSHH there are a range of substances regarded as hazardous to health, such as the following:
- Substances or mixtures of substances are classified as dangerous to health under the Chemicals (Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply) Regulations 2009 or Chemicals (Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2009 (as amended). These regulations are identical and are both referred to as CHIP. CHIP requires these hazardous substances to be identified by a warning label. Under the European REACH regulation, the supplier must also provide a safety data sheet for these hazardous substances. Information approved for the classification and labelling of substances and preparations dangerous for supply, as part of the CHIP package. Suppliers must decide if preparations and substances that are not in the Approved Supply List are dangerous, and if so, label them accordingly.
- Biological agents (bacteria and other micro-organisms), if they are directly connected with the work, such as with farming, sewage treatment, or healthcare, or if the exposure is incidental to the work (e.g. exposure to bacteria from an air-conditioning system that is not properly maintained)
- Any kind of dust if its average concentration in the air exceeds the levels specified in COSHH
- Any other substance which creates a risk to health, but which for technical reasons may not be specifically covered by CHIP, including asphyxiants (i.e. gases such as argon and helium, which, while not dangerous in themselves, can endanger life by reducing the amount of oxygen available to breathe), pesticides, medicines, cosmetics or substances produced in chemical processes
What is not a substance hazardous to health under COSHH?
COSHH applies to virtually all substances hazardous to health except:
- Asbestos and lead, which have their own regulations
- Substances which are hazardous only because they are radioactive, at high pressure, at extreme temperatures, or have explosive or flammable properties (other regulations apply to these risks)
- Biological agents that are outside the employer’s control, e.g. catching an infection from a workmate. (If in doubt, please contact HSE for advice.)
For the vast majority of commercial chemicals, the presence (or not) of a warning label will indicate whether COSHH is relevant. For example, there is no warning label on ordinary household washing-up liquid, so if it’s used at work, you do not have to worry about COSHH; but there is a warning label on bleach, and so COSHH does apply to its use in the workplace.
We suggest that you visit the website for the Health and Safety Executive for more specific information on COSHH. Their website can be found below.
COSHH from the HSE 
COSHH from the HSENI
