What a COSHH assessment should organise
A COSHH assessment should make the substance, task, exposure route, control measures and review evidence easy to understand. On construction jobs that usually means connecting the assessment to the method statement, RAMS, SDS, PPE requirements, supervision notes and site conditions.
This guide is a workflow starting point, not legal advice. Contractors still need competent review and site-specific decisions before relying on any assessment.
Useful assessment fields
- Substance name, supplier and SDS reference
- Activity, location, people affected and likely exposure route
- Existing controls such as ventilation, segregation, storage and handling
- PPE, RPE, welfare and emergency arrangements
- Residual risk, review owner and next review date
- Briefing record and evidence that affected workers were informed
Review triggers
Review the COSHH assessment when the substance changes, the SDS is updated, the task moves to a different location, ventilation changes, exposure routes change or worker feedback shows the controls are not practical. Site teams should also review the assessment after incidents, near misses, client comments or a change in work sequence.
The review record should be simple to follow. Capture what changed, who reviewed it, which workers were briefed again and whether any linked RAMS, permit or toolbox talk also needs updating.
Connect COSHH to RAMS
COSHH assessments are easier to manage when they do not sit in a separate folder. Link them to RAMS Software, COSHH Software for Construction, permits, toolbox talks and site evidence so the team can see which controls apply to the actual work.
If the task changes, review the substance controls alongside the RAMS. A simple review history helps show what changed, why it changed and who accepted the updated record.
Next step
Read the COSHH and RAMS Substance Control Guide, compare SDS Management Software, or book a Zektrx workflow demo.
Related Zektrx workflow
More ways to use this coshh/sds guide.
Put it into practice
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