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Health & Safety

COSHH Assessments Control of Substances Hazardous to Health

Expert COSHH assessments for every workplace. We identify hazardous substances, assess exposure routes, evaluate risks against Workplace Exposure Limits and recommend practical control measures — from LEV design to RPE selection and health surveillance programmes.

13KNew occupational lung disease cases/yr
WELWorkplace Exposure Limit compliance
£166HSE fee per hour of intervention
100%Of substances must be assessed
COSHH Compliance

What Is a COSHH Assessment?

A workplace risk assessment is a systematic examination of your work activities, premises and processes to identify what could cause harm to people — and whether you're doing enough to prevent it. Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSWR), every employer must carry out a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to the health and safety of their employees and anyone else who may be affected by their work activities.

If you have five or more employees, the significant findings of your risk assessment must be recorded in writing. But regardless of your size, risk assessment is the foundation of every health and safety management system — without it, you're managing safety blind.

RADCaT's qualified health and safety consultants carry out thorough, practical workplace risk assessments for businesses of every size and sector across the UK. We don't produce generic templates — we visit your premises, walk your processes, talk to your team and produce site-specific, task-specific assessments that genuinely reflect your operations and give you a clear, prioritised action plan for improvement.

Whether you need a general workplace risk assessment for your office, a task-specific assessment for high-risk activities in a factory, a site-wide review for a multi-building campus, or a pre-project risk assessment for a construction site — RADCaT delivers expert, HSE-compliant assessments tailored to your industry and your operations.

COSHH Regulation 6 requires employers to prevent or adequately control exposure. "Adequately control" means below the WEL. If that's not reasonably practicable, as low as reasonably practicable. RADCaT ensures your controls meet the standard.

COSHH Assessments services from RADCaT
Types of Risk Assessment

COSHH Services We Provide

Comprehensive COSHH compliance from substance inventory to health surveillance.

COSHH Risk Assessments

Full assessment of every hazardous substance — identification, classification, exposure route analysis, risk evaluation against WELs and documented control measure recommendations. Site-specific, not templates.

Safety Data Sheet Review

Review and interpretation of manufacturer SDSs for all substances. Identify gaps in SDS information, ensure you have data needed for compliant assessments and maintain your SDS library.

LEV Assessment & Design

Assessment of local exhaust ventilation systems, specification for new LEV installations, coordination of LEV examination and testing under COSHH Regulation 9. Spray booths, fume cupboards, dust extraction.

RPE Selection & Fit Testing

Selection of appropriate respiratory protective equipment based on substance, exposure and task. Face fit testing coordination ensuring RPE provides the stated protection factor.

Health Surveillance

Where residual risk exists, we develop health surveillance programmes — skin checks for dermatitis, lung function for respiratory sensitisers, biological monitoring for specific substances.

Substitution & Elimination

Opportunities to eliminate hazardous substances or substitute safer alternatives. The hierarchy of control starts with elimination — we identify where this is reasonably practicable.

COSHH Training

Staff training on substance identification, reading SDSs, pictograms, PPE use, exposure symptoms, spill procedures and reporting. Training courses →

Substance Inventory

Complete hazardous substance register — what you have, where it's stored, who uses it, quantities and which assessments apply. The foundation of COSHH compliance.

Our Process

How We Carry Out a Risk Assessment

1

Substance Inventory

Complete inventory of every hazardous substance on site — raw materials, products, cleaning chemicals, maintenance substances, waste streams. Collect and review all safety data sheets.

2

Exposure Assessment

For each substance: who is exposed, by what route, for how long, at what concentration. Evaluate against WELs and assess whether current controls are adequate.

3

Control Recommendations

Where risks aren't adequately controlled: elimination, substitution, engineering controls (LEV, containment), PPE, safe handling procedures and health surveillance recommendations.

4

Documentation

Comprehensive COSHH assessment reports for every substance, organised by department. Clear recommendations with priority ratings. Audit-ready for HSE.

5

Review & Monitoring

Scheduled reviews when substances or processes change. Annual formal review. Retained clients receive ongoing COSHH compliance monitoring.

Common Questions

COSHH Assessments FAQ

What substances need a COSHH assessment?

Any substance that could harm health — chemicals, paints, adhesives, solvents, cleaning products, dusts (wood, flour, silica, metal), fumes (welding, soldering), biological agents and any substance with a WEL or hazard classification. If it has a hazard pictogram, it needs assessing. Even common substances like bleach, white spirit and cement require COSHH assessments.

How often should COSHH assessments be reviewed?

Whenever substances, processes, equipment or quantities change. After any exposure incident. Best practice is annual formal review. RADCaT provides scheduled review visits for retained clients.

What is a Workplace Exposure Limit?

The maximum concentration of an airborne substance averaged over 8 hours or 15 minutes, listed in HSE publication EH40. Your assessment must evaluate whether exposure could exceed the WEL and implement controls to ensure it doesn't.

Do offices need COSHH assessments?

Yes — for cleaning chemicals, printer toner, correction fluid and any other hazardous substance. Even low-risk workplaces typically have several substances requiring assessment.

What is LEV and do I need it?

Local Exhaust Ventilation captures airborne contaminants at source. Required where other controls can't adequately reduce exposure. Must be examined every 14 months under COSHH Regulation 9.

Can you assess my whole site?

Yes. We work systematically through your facility, department by department. Bundled site assessments offer significant savings over individual assessments.

How much does a COSHH assessment cost?

Fixed-price quotes based on number of substances and complexity. Bundled packages for multi-substance sites. Contact us for a free consultation.

Need a COSHH Assessment?

Tell us what substances you work with and we'll provide a clear, no-obligation quote.