Chemicals and COSHH

If you work with Chemicals for cleaning and/or experimentally you need to follow the HSE's Control Of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 

What does COSHH stand for and what is it? Control Of Substances Hazardous to Health and it is a type of risk assessment with the purpose is to assess how the hazardous chemical may cause harm and then consider the most suitable control measures.​

Why do we do COSHH? The UK has the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002 which state that we need to assess the risks of working with hazardous chemicals and then prevent/control the exposure and provide workers with the information/instruction/training about the risks and precautions they need to implement to work safely.

Who needs to do it? Anyone working with any hazardous chemicals in the department will need to carry out a COSHH assessment and have it signed off by their supervisor.

How do I do the COSHH Assessment? Use the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) sent with the chemical from the supplier to fill in the COSHH form Template. If you haven’t been sent a physical copy of the SDS you may be able to find a copy online or contact the supplier directly. As you work through the COSHH assessment template you will see each it is set out to consider the safety arrangements to deal with incidents, emergencies, spillages. It also includes the health and safety risks including first aid measures from the possible routes of exposure as well as storage, handling or disposal of any of the substances. This information is all found in the SDS.

When should you carry out the COSHH assessment? Before using the chemical you will need to carry out a COSHH, this will allow you to identify if you have the necessary controls in place.

If you are working with anything that could cause an explosive environment you will need an extra assessment in line with Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations (DSEAR​). DSEAR requirements involved controlling the risks to safety from fire, explosions and substances corrosive to metals. You need to contact your Chemical Safety officer in this case.

You’ve completed the COSHH, what next? Retain a copy in the red safety folder and send a copy to the Chemical Safety Officer who will upload them to a shared database for staff access. Ensure the control measures identified are in place before you start working.

Working with controlled chemicals? Controlled chemicals are protected under legislation and are usually drug or explosive precursors. For these chemicals you will need to record; quantities purchased, date of purchase, usage and quantities in storage. This is audited by central safety services throughout the year. Please see the guidance on the central safety pages for which controlled chemicals UCL already holds a chemical licence for and  which will need an additional licence. Note licences can take 6-12 weeks to be issued. 

Producing hazardous waste? UCL have a centralised hazardous waste procedure using an external contractor. Collections happen every two weeks. The service is currently running a 4-6 week lead time between a booking being accepted and the collection, please factor this in. All details can be found on the central UCL webpages or contact your chemical safety officer for any issues rising.

Labelling: Label chemicals correctly with date of purchase, and ownership. If using storage cupboards or alternative containers these should be labelled fully. If storing chemicals in shared settings please also add ownership details and provide a COSHH to the safety coordinator for the storage area. 

ANY CHEMICALS FOUND THAT ARE NOT LABELLED CORRECTLY AND/OR DO NOT HAVE A COSHH WILL BE DISPOSED OF WITH NO NOTICE. 

Please see examples below as starting points for your COSHH assessments: