What's wrong with most free COSHH templates?
Search "COSHH assessment template" and you'll find dozens of free Word downloads. They look official, HSE-inspired headers, tick boxes, grey tables. But when a UK HSE inspector actually looks at your completed assessment, they're checking for five things most Word templates miss entirely:
- Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs), the legal maximum concentration allowed in workplace air, sourced from HSE EH40/2005. Most Word templates have a blank field. Ours pre-fills them per substance.
- GHS hazard pictograms, the diamond-shaped symbols on chemical containers. A salon owner instantly recognises the corrosive symbol; nobody parses "H314" from a text field.
- Storage and disposal section, where to store, what NOT to store nearby, how to dispose. Word templates almost universally leave this out.
- Spillage procedure, a separate section from emergency first-aid, covering containment, cleanup materials, and disposal. Required by HSE guidance.
- Substance-specific emergency procedures, different for a corrosive versus a flammable. Generic "call 999" text doesn't cut it.
The blunt truth:a filled-in Word template is legally acceptable if all sections are completed correctly. But if you're a UK small business owner filling one in during your lunch break using a downloaded PDF SDS, you'll almost certainly miss the WEL data, use the wrong pictogram set, or leave storage/spillage blank. That's the gap our COSHH assessment generator fills.
What a compliant COSHH assessment template must include
Under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, a suitable and sufficient COSHH assessment includes the following sections. Compare this list against any template you're considering:
Generate a real assessment, all 14 sections filled
No signup. First one is free (watermarked). Paid bundles from £29 for 10 clean PDFs.
Why UK small businesses need this now
The UK has around 47,000 hair and beauty salons, 90,000 registered cleaning businesses, and hundreds of thousands of catering, garage, and construction operations. Every one of them uses hazardous substances, bleach, hydrogen peroxide, hair dye, oven cleaner, brake fluid, cement. Every one is legally required to hold a suitable and sufficient COSHH assessment record for each substance, with control measures reduced to as low as reasonably practicable.
The Health and Safety Executive can issue improvement notices or prosecute for missing COSHH paperwork, with fines up to £20,000 in a magistrates' court and unlimited in Crown Court. It's not the fine that hurts most small businesses though. It's the disruption of an unannounced inspection followed by a mandatory two-week fix-up.
Occupational exposure to hazardous substances remains a leading cause of ill-health in UK workplaces. HSE data attributes thousands of new cases of occupational asthma, contact dermatitis, and long-term respiratory disease each year to chemical exposure. Employers have a duty of care to reduce that exposure through the hierarchy of control, and where necessary, health surveillance for staff working with sensitisers or carcinogens.
The other side, your insurer. Employer's liability and public liability claims are far more expensive to defend if your COSHH paperwork or chemical safety records are missing or outdated. Insurers can and do reduce settlements or refuse renewals over this.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I download a free COSHH assessment template UK?
You can download a real 4-page sample PDF above on this page. Unlike Word templates, it includes GHS pictograms, WELs from HSE EH40/2005, and substance-specific emergency procedures.
What should a COSHH assessment template include?
A compliant template covers substance identification, GHS hazards, WELs, exposure routes, risk rating, control measures, PPE, storage, spillage, emergency procedures, and a review date. See the 14-section checklist above.
Are Word COSHH templates legally compliant?
Only if filled in correctly with substance-specific data. Most SMEs miss WELs, pictograms, or emergency procedures, leaving legal gaps.
Do I need to renew my COSHH assessment every year?
Yes. The COSHH Regulations 2002 require annual review, and immediate review if substances, processes, or conditions change.
How is your COSHH generator different from a Word template?
We pre-fill substance data from HSE guidance and manufacturer SDS sheets, so you don't leave anything critical blank. Then you get a clean, professional PDF instead of a Word doc that looks like it was made in 2005.
Related COSHH resources
References
- Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (SI 2002/2677), UK legislation.gov.uk
- HSE EH40/2005 Workplace Exposure Limits, Health and Safety Executive
- COSHH basics: What you need to know, HSE
- COSHH essentials, control guidance for employers, HSE
- L5, Approved Code of Practice and guidance, HSE