What is COSHH and How Does it Apply to Small Businesses?

If you run a small business in the UK—whether that’s a coffee shop, a cleaning company, a construction firm, or something a bit more niche—you’ve probably come across the acronym COSHH at some point and thought, “That sounds important. I should probably know what that is.”

You’d be right.

So, let’s strip away the jargon, ditch the legal-speak, and talk plainly about what COSHH is, why it matters, and what you need to do about it.

What does COSHH actually mean?

COSHH stands for the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health. It’s a set of regulations that apply to businesses of all shapes and sizes in the UK. If your work involves any substance that could cause harm to someone’s health—think chemicals, fumes, dust, cleaning products, paint, glue, even flour—then COSHH applies to you.

Yes, even flour. (Bakers get occupational asthma more often than you’d think.)

The regulations are there to make sure you’re not putting people at risk when they’re handling, using, storing, or exposed to these substances. It’s not just about people in lab coats working in high-tech facilities. COSHH is just as relevant to a two-person cleaning company as it is to a massive manufacturer.

Why COSHH matters (especially for small businesses)

I know health and safety stuff can feel like a bit of a box-ticking exercise sometimes. You’re busy. You’re wearing 12 different hats. And now you’ve got to deal with this too?

But here’s the thing: COSHH is about protecting people. And people are your most valuable asset—whether that’s your staff, your customers, or (if you’re a one-person business) you.

Even a small incident—someone getting a chemical burn, inhaling something they shouldn’t, or developing dermatitis from repeated exposure—can lead to lost working time, legal issues, and some hefty fines. Not to mention the human impact.

Plus, if HSE (the Health and Safety Executive) ever come knocking and you don’t have your COSHH ducks in a row, you could be looking at enforcement action. And that’s not fun for anyone.

What kinds of substances are we talking about?

There’s often a bit of confusion about what “hazardous substances” actually means. It’s not just things with scary warning labels.

Under COSHH, hazardous substances include:

• Chemicals and products containing chemicals (cleaning fluids, paints, adhesives)
• Fumes and vapours (from welding, soldering, or even cooking)
• Dust (wood dust, flour dust, silica)
• Mists and sprays (like when you’re using aerosols)
• Biological agents (e.g. bacteria, viruses, or anything infectious—especially relevant in healthcare or beauty sectors)
• Nanomaterials (for the science-y businesses among you)

Even some seemingly harmless products can become hazardous when used in certain ways or over long periods. That’s why COSHH isn’t just for “dangerous” jobs—it’s for everyone.

What does COSHH require you to do?

Here’s the practical bit. To comply with COSHH, you need to follow a simple process. I’ll break it down into bite-sized steps.

1. Identify hazardous substances in your business

First, take a look at what products or materials you use that might be hazardous. This includes anything with a warning label or safety data sheet (SDS). Check your cupboards, toolkits, storage areas—anywhere stuff lives.

Pro tip: If you’ve got products with little orange or red diamonds on them (CLP labels), they’re probably hazardous.

2. Assess the risks

This is your COSHH assessment. And yes, I can help with templates if you need them.

You’re basically looking at how people might be exposed to the substance, how likely that is, what the health risks are, and what you’re currently doing (or could do better) to control the risk.

Ask yourself:

• Who is using the substance?
• How is it being used? (Is it sprayed? Heated? Brushed on?)
• How could it enter the body? (Inhalation, skin contact, swallowing?)
• Is there any chance it could be accidentally released or spill?
• Are you doing enough to keep people safe?

3. Put control measures in place

Once you’ve assessed the risk, you need to do something about it.

That might mean:

• Switching to a less hazardous product (substitution)
• Improving ventilation
• Providing PPE like gloves or masks
• Storing chemicals properly (away from heat, sunlight, or incompatible materials)
• Training staff on how to use the substance safely
• Creating spill response plans

You don’t always need expensive equipment or fancy systems—just sensible, proportionate controls that match the level of risk.

4. Make sure people know what they’re doing

It’s not much good having COSHH assessments and control measures if nobody knows about them.

Make sure everyone who handles or works near hazardous substances knows:

• What the substance is
• What the risks are
• How to use it safely
• What to do in an emergency

Training doesn’t have to be a big formal thing. Sometimes a quick chat and a laminated instruction sheet can go a long way.

5. Keep things under control and up to date

COSHH isn’t a “one and done” job. You’ll need to check every so often that:

• The substances are still being used as planned
• The control measures are working
• Nothing new has crept in without you noticing

If anything changes—new staff, new products, new processes—update your assessments and controls.

What about COSHH assessments? Do I really need them?

Yes. But don’t panic—they don’t have to be complicated.

A COSHH assessment is just a record of what you’ve looked at and what you’re doing about it. You can use a template (I’ve got some you can download) and fill in the blanks. It should be:

• Specific to your business
• Focused on real-world use
• Easy for others to understand

And if the idea of writing it yourself makes your eyes glaze over, that’s where I come in. I offer remote consultancy to help you sort this stuff out without spending hours down a rabbit hole.

Does COSHH apply if I only use off-the-shelf cleaning products?

Yes—and that catches a lot of small businesses out.

Just because a product is sold in supermarkets doesn’t mean it’s automatically safe to use in a work environment. If you’re using it regularly, in bulk, or mixing it with other substances, COSHH applies.

So if your staff are using bleach, oven cleaner, descaler, etc., even in small amounts, you still need to assess the risk and train them properly.

What if I’m a one-person business?

Even if it’s just you, you’re still legally responsible for protecting your own health and safety. The law doesn’t say “only if you’ve got five employees and a fancy printer.”

That means doing a basic COSHH assessment for any substances you use and making sure you’re taking steps to keep yourself safe. You might be a solo act, but that doesn’t mean you get to ignore the rules.

Common COSHH mistakes I see all the time

Let’s talk about some of the things small businesses often get wrong, just so you can avoid falling into the same traps:

• No COSHH assessments at all – Probably the most common one. It’s not enough to say, “Well, it’s just bleach.”
• Outdated or generic assessments – If you’ve copied one from Google and it talks about processes you don’t even do, it’s not helping you.
• No safety data sheets on file – These should come from your supplier and need to be available to staff.
• No training or briefings – Even if you’ve got everything written down, people need to know about it.
• Assuming PPE is a magic fix – PPE is the last resort, not the first. Look at other controls first.

Where to get help (without selling your soul to a corporate giant)

If this all sounds like a bit much, you don’t have to go it alone.

I help small businesses like yours with straightforward, affordable health and safety support—including COSHH assessments, risk assessments, and templates you can actually use. No fluff. No 200-page documents you’ll never read. Just clear, practical help from someone who knows the ropes.

Need a COSHH assessment template? Want someone to sanity-check what you’ve already got? Drop me a message and we’ll sort it.