Control measures to prevent or limit exposure to hazardous substances

What is COSHH for?

The objective of COSHH is to prevent, or to adequately control, exposure to substances hazardous to health, so as to prevent ill health.

You can do this by:

  • using control equipment, eg total enclosure, partial enclosure, LEV[61];
  • controlling procedures, eg ways of working, supervision and training to reduce exposure, maintenance, examination and testing of control measures;
  • worker behaviour, making sure employees follow the control measures.

Changing how often a task is undertaken, or when, or reducing the number of employees nearby, can make an improvement to exposure control.

See Working with substances hazardous to health: A brief guide to COSHH[62].

You should also look at the HSE REACH web pages[63] for information about what the Regulations mean for users of chemicals.

Control equipment

Control equipment can be general ventilation, extraction systems such as local exhaust ventilation[64], enclosure, or where the air cannot be cleaned, refuges and respiratory protective equipment (RPE). (PDF) [65]

Other control equipment includes spillage capture, decontamination, clean-up procedures and personal protective equipment (PPE)[66].

Ways of working

Control through ways of working includes operating procedures, supervision and training.

It includes emergency procedures, decontamination and 'permits to work[67]' for tasks such as maintenance.

It also means testing all control measures regularly – equipment, ways of working and behaviour, to make sure that they work properly.

You should keep records of examinations, tests and repairs to equipment for at least five years. This helps to identify any trends or variations in equipment deterioration.

Worker behaviour

Where control measures are in place it is important to use them properly.

This includes:

  • wearing any PPE necessary;
  • using control equipment;
  • following hygiene procedures;
  • warning supervisors if anything appears to be wrong.

See also

Link URLs in this page

  1. COSHHhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/index.htm
  2. COSHH overviewhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/basics/index.htm
  3. What is a ‘substance hazardous to health’?https://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/basics/substance.htm
  4. I’m self-employed. Does this apply to me?https://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/basics/selfemployed.htm
  5. What you need to dohttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/basics/whatdo.htm
  6. COSHH assessmenthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/basics/assessment.htm
  7. Substitutionhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/basics/substitution.htm
  8. Exposure limitshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/basics/exposurelimits.htm
  9. Chemical safety data sheetshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/basics/datasheets.htm
  10. Control measureshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/basics/control.htm
  11. Permits to workhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/basics/permits.htm
  12. Personal protective equipmenthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/basics/ppe.htm
  13. Monitoringhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/basics/monitoring.htm
  14. Health surveillancehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/basics/surveillance.htm
  15. Training for employeeshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/basics/training.htm
  16. Emergencieshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/basics/emergencies.htm
  17. Detailed overviewhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/detail/index.htm
  18. COSHH, CLP and REACHhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/detail/coshh-clp-reach.htm
  19. REACH and COSHHhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/detail/reach.htm
  20. Principles of good practicehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/detail/goodpractice.htm
  21. Overview - Your industryhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/industry/index.htm
  22. Agriculturehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/industry/agriculture.htm
  23. Bakinghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/industry/baking.htm
  24. Beautyhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/industry/beauty.htm
  25. Cateringhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/industry/catering.htm
  26. Cleaninghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/industry/cleaning.htm
  27. Engineeringhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/industry/engineering.htm
  28. Fumigationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/industry/fumigation.htm
  29. Hairdressinghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/industry/hairdressing.htm
  30. Offshore oil and gashttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/industry/offshore.htm
  31. Printinghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/industry/printing.htm
  32. Motor vehicle repairhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/industry/mvr.htm
  33. Weldinghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/industry/welding.htm
  34. Woodworkinghttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/industry/woodworking.htm
  35. Frequently asked questionshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/faq.htm
  36. Overview - Resourceshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/resources.htm
  37. COSHH Essentialshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/essentials/index.htm
  38. Overview - Case studieshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/casestudies/index.htm
  39. Soldererhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/casestudies/solder.htm
  40. Bakerhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/casestudies/baker.htm
  41. Cookhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/casestudies/cook.htm
  42. Weldershttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/casestudies/welder.htm
  43. Isocyanateshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/casestudies/isocyanates.htm
  44. Dermatitishttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/casestudies/dermatitis.htm
  45. Overview - Example risk assessmentshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/riskassess/index.htm
  46. Officehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/riskassess/office.htm
  47. DIY shop https://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/riskassess/diyshop.htm
  48. Workshop https://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/riskassess/workshop.htm
  49. Engineer https://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/riskassess/engineer.htm
  50. Sandwich makerhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/riskassess/sandwichmaker.htm
  51. Garden centrehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/riskassess/gardencentre.htm
  52. Paving companyhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/riskassess/paving.htm
  53. Feed mill https://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/riskassess/feedmill.htm
  54. Die caster https://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/riskassess/diecaster.htm
  55. Electronicshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/riskassess/electronics.htm
  56. Fruit farmhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/riskassess/fruitfarm.htm
  57. Warehousehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/riskassess/warehouse.htm
  58. Further informationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/furtherinfo.htm
  59. Publicationshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/publications.htm
  60. Research reportshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/research-reports.htm
  61. LEVhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/lev/index.htm
  62. Working with substances hazardous to health: A brief guide to COSHHhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg136.htm
  63. HSE REACH web pageshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/reach/index.htm
  64. local exhaust ventilationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/lev/index.htm
  65. respiratory protective equipment (RPE).https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/guidance/rpe5.pdf
  66. personal protective equipment (PPE)https://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/basics/ppe.htm
  67. permits to workhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/basics/permits.htm
  68. EH40/2005 Workplace exposure limitshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/eh40.htm
  69. Working with substances hazardous to health: A brief guide to COSHHhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg136.htm
  70. COSHH Essentialshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/essentials/index.htm
  71. Case studies (Examples of real life situations with COSHH)https://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/casestudies/index.htm
  72. Example risk assessments (Use these to get ideas for completing assessments)https://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/riskassess/index.htm
  73. Nanotechnologyhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/nanotechnology/index.htm
  74. Risk assessmenthttps://www.hse.gov.uk/risk/index.htm
  75. Local exhaust ventilation micrositehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/lev/index.htm
  76. Chemicals micrositehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/chemicals/index.htm
  77. Local exhaust ventilationhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/lev/index.htm
  78. Personal protective equipment (PPE)https://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/basics/ppe.htm
  79. Permits to workhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/COSHH/basics/permits.htm

Glossary of abbreviations/acronyms on this page

LEV
local exhaust ventilation

Is this page useful?

2022-03-14