One of the questions we are often asked is:
“Do you provide COSHH Assessments?”
The answer is yes. However, COSHH support is not as simple as producing an assessment for every chemical on site, nor is that the most efficient or effective way to manage substance risk.
Last month, SHE Does Safety supported a specialist laboratory and manufacturing organisation with a comprehensive review of their chemical inventory, working practices and COSHH arrangements.
The Challenge
The organisation used a wide range of substances across laboratory, manufacturing and assembly activities, including:
- Adhesives, coatings and primers
- Solvents and highly flammable liquids
- Cleaning agents and laboratory detergents
- Laboratory reagents and buffers
- Soldering consumables
- Engineering consumables and maintenance products
Like many organisations, the business had accumulated a significant number of substances over time. The challenge was not simply producing COSHH assessments for each substance, but understanding how substances were actually being used, ensuring COSHH arrangements reflected real working practices and identifying where existing controls, documentation or procedures required improvement.
Our Approach
The project began with a site visit, a detailed review of the chemical inventory, relevant SOPs and associated Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS).
This included:
Substance Review
Understanding what substances were in use and why. This involved reviewing classifications, workplace exposure limits (WELs), storage requirements, handling precautions, waste disposal arrangements and emergency procedures.
Understanding the Process
Rather than assessing substances in isolation, the review considered how chemicals were used within laboratory and manufacturing activities.
This included reviewing existing SOPs and identifying where process specific COSHH assessments were required to support higher-risk activities.
Practical Grouping of Substances
A common misconception is that every substance requires an individual COSHH assessment.
In reality, where substances share similar hazards, exposure routes and control measures, grouping can often provide a more practical and manageable solution.
This approach reduced unnecessary complexity whilst ensuring risks remained adequately controlled.
Challenging the Need for Hazardous Substances
One of the most valuable outcomes of any COSHH review can be identifying substances that may no longer be required.
It is common to find chemicals that:
- Are no longer actively used
- Have been retained from previous projects or processes
- Have safer alternatives available
- Are held in greater quantities than operationally necessary
The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 require employers to prevent exposure where reasonably practicable. One of the most effective ways to achieve this is through elimination or substitution.
In many cases, reducing risk is not about introducing additional controls; it is about removing the source of the hazard altogether.
Reviewing chemical inventories with a fresh perspective can often lead to:
- Reduced risk to personnel
- Simpler storage arrangements
- Lower waste disposal costs
- Reduced training requirements
- Improved housekeeping and chemical management
The Outcome
The project resulted in structured COSHH assessments comprising both grouped and process specific assessments tailored to the organisation’s activities.
The review also provided a clearer understanding of:
- Which substances presented the greatest risks
- Which activities required additional assessment
- Where existing controls were suitable
- Where controls required improvement
- Opportunities to simplify chemical management and reduce unnecessary risk
Do You Need COSHH Support?
Whether you operate a laboratory, manufacturing facility, workshop, healthcare setting or office environment, effective COSHH management is about far more than collecting SDS sheets and filing them away.
It is about understanding the substances in use, how they are used, whether they are needed at all, and ensuring practical controls are in place to protect people and the business.
If you would like support with COSHH assessments, chemical inventories or a wider COSHH management review, please get in touch.
But be quick – we don’t actively advertise this service and only take on a limited number of COSHH projects each year. Whilst we enjoy getting stuck into them, they can be surprisingly time consuming, and we like to make sure every project receives the attention it deserves.
hello@shedoessafety.co.uk | 07823926058 | Contact Us
