How to Carry Out a COSHH Assessment in a Small Business

If you’re running a small business and you use any kind of chemicals—or products that might count as chemicals—you need a COSHH assessment. It’s not just a box-ticking exercise. It’s about making sure you and your team aren’t being exposed to things that can harm your health.

That could be cleaning products, adhesives, paint, lubricants, bleach, dust, fumes, resins, sprays… The list goes on. If you’ve looked at a product label and seen hazard symbols or phrases like “may cause respiratory irritation,” then it’s time to do a COSHH assessment.

It doesn’t need to be overcomplicated. You don’t need to be a chemist. You just need to follow a sensible process. That’s what I’ll walk you through here.

What is COSHH and why should you care?

COSHH stands for the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health. It’s a set of regulations in the UK that requires employers to control exposure to hazardous substances.

If you’re thinking, “Well, we only use a bit of cleaner now and again,” that still counts. COSHH applies whether you’ve got one cleaning spray under the sink or barrels of industrial solvents in a workshop.

The idea is simple: identify the risks, understand who could be harmed and how, then put controls in place to reduce those risks. That’s your COSHH assessment.

Step 1: Make a list of all hazardous substances

This is your starting point. Get everything down on paper (or Excel, or whatever works for you). Walk around your workplace, open cupboards, look under sinks, check storage rooms. Anywhere you might find products that are chemical-based or could release harmful substances.

You’re looking for things like:

• Cleaning chemicals
• Paints and varnishes
• Solvents, adhesives, inks
• Oils and lubricants
• Dust-producing materials (wood, flour, plaster, etc.)
• Fumes and vapours from processes
• Acids and alkalis
• Gases in cylinders

Don’t just look at the obvious stuff. A bit of wood dust from sanding? COSHH. Welding fumes? COSHH. Flour dust in a bakery? Yep—still COSHH.

If it can harm health and it’s part of your work process, it goes on the list.

Step 2: Get the Safety Data Sheets (SDS)

Every hazardous product you buy should come with a Safety Data Sheet from the supplier. If they didn’t send one, ask for it—or download it from the manufacturer’s website.

These sheets tell you what the product is, what the hazards are, and how to handle it safely. They’re not COSHH assessments themselves (this gets confused a lot), but they’re a key part of the puzzle.

You’ll need the SDS to complete your assessment properly, especially when it comes to understanding health risks and recommended controls.

Quick tip: Keep all your SDS documents organised in one folder. Physical or digital, doesn’t matter. Just make sure you can find them quickly when needed.

Step 3: Identify the hazards

Now take each substance on your list and look at what the hazards are. The SDS will help with this—it’ll tell you if it’s toxic, flammable, corrosive, irritant, sensitising, etc.

Also think about how it’s used in your business. Something might be harmless in a sealed container but become hazardous when sprayed, heated, or mixed with something else.

Some key questions to ask:

• What are the health effects of this substance?
• Is it more dangerous as a liquid, a vapour, a mist, or a powder?
• Does it affect skin, eyes, lungs, or something else?
• Is it a one-off danger or harmful with repeated exposure?

For example, a degreasing spray might cause headaches and dizziness if used in a small, unventilated room. That’s a risk worth noting.

Step 4: Decide who could be harmed and how

Now think about the people in your business. Who’s using the substance? Who else might be exposed?

This could include:

• Employees using the product directly
• Maintenance staff
• Cleaners
• Visitors
• People working nearby who could breathe in vapours or dust

It’s not just about physical contact either. Breathing something in or absorbing it through the skin can be just as harmful—sometimes worse.

So, if someone is pouring a solvent into a machine and it gives off fumes, even the person on the next workstation might be at risk.

Step 5: Evaluate the risk

Risk = likelihood × severity.

This is where you ask: How likely is it that someone could be harmed, and how bad would it be if they were?

Let’s say you use a mild cleaning spray that causes skin irritation. If staff wear gloves and only use it once a day, the risk is probably low. But if you’re using a corrosive chemical to clean parts every hour and there’s no PPE or ventilation, that risk is much higher.

Things to consider:

• How the substance is used (sprayed, brushed, poured, etc.)
• How often and for how long it’s used
• What existing controls are already in place
• Whether those controls are actually effective (no point having gloves if no one wears them)

This step helps you decide what needs changing and what’s already under control.

Step 6: Put control measures in place

This is where the rubber meets the road. The goal is to eliminate the risk if possible. If not, reduce it to as low as reasonably practical.

Here’s a handy hierarchy to guide your thinking:

1. Eliminate – Can you stop using the substance altogether?
2. Substitute – Is there a safer alternative product?
3. Engineering controls – Can you use ventilation, fume extraction, or enclosed systems?
4. Administrative controls – Can you change how or when it’s used to reduce exposure?
5. PPE – As a last resort, use gloves, goggles, respirators, etc.

Don’t jump straight to PPE. It’s important, but it should never be the only control. People forget to wear it, or wear the wrong type, or wear it incorrectly. If you can control the risk higher up the chain, do that first.

And whatever controls you choose, make sure people are trained to use them properly. Otherwise they’re just expensive props.

Step 7: Record your COSHH assessment

This bit’s easy to forget, but it’s important—especially if something ever goes wrong.

You need to write down:

• What the substance is
• The hazards it presents
• Who’s at risk and how
• What controls are in place
• Any PPE needed
• Any further actions required

You can use a COSHH assessment template for this (I’ve got downloadable ones that make life easier). Keep it simple, but thorough. One assessment per substance is usually best.

Make sure it’s easy to read and accessible to your team. If it’s just filed away and forgotten, it’s not doing its job.

Step 8: Review and update

Things change. You might switch to a different product, move to a new workspace, or change how a job is done. Any of that can affect the risk.

So check your COSHH assessments regularly. I recommend reviewing them at least once a year—or sooner if something changes.

Also, if someone has a near miss or incident involving a substance, that’s a good reason to go back and see if the assessment needs updating.

What about substances created by your work?

This catches a lot of people out. COSHH isn’t just about products you buy. It also covers hazardous substances that are produced by your work.

Examples:

• Dust from sanding or drilling
• Fumes from welding or soldering
• Silica dust from cutting tiles or bricks
• Diesel fumes in workshops or garages

You still need to assess and control these, even though they don’t come in a bottle with a label. That might mean using local exhaust ventilation, changing how the work is done, or rotating tasks to reduce exposure time.

Do COSHH assessments need to be done by a specialist?

Nope. You don’t need to hire a consultant (although I do offer remote support if you want a hand). The law just says they need to be done by someone who’s competent. That means someone with the knowledge and experience to do the job properly.

If you’re running a small business, and you’re willing to take the time to learn, you can do this yourself. The key is being methodical and not guessing your way through it.

If you’re ever unsure about a particular product or risk, that’s when it makes sense to get advice.

Where to find help and templates

If all of this sounds manageable but you’d like a bit of structure, I’ve put together some COSHH assessment templates that guide you through the process. You can download them from the ACI Safety site and tweak them to fit your business.

I also offer remote consultancy if you want someone to double-check your assessments or help you set up a system that works without drowning in paperwork.

Because let’s be honest—small businesses don’t have time for waffle. You just need clear, practical steps to keep people safe and stay on the right side of the law.

That’s what I’m here for.