In plain English
COSHH stands for Control of Substances Hazardous to Health. It is about identifying substances that can harm people—chemicals, fumes, dusts, vapours and similar—and putting practical controls in place so exposure stays as low as reasonably practicable.
Who it applies to
Most workplaces that use cleaning products, solvents, adhesives, laboratory reagents, process chemicals or create hazardous dusts should consider COSHH. It is not limited to heavy industry.
What good practice looks like
Know what you use, read labels and safety data sheets, assess the risk, choose controls (substitution, extraction, PPE as a last line), train people, and review when work changes.
Related training
Browse our COSHH and chemical safety courses for practical workplace learning. Certificates are independent professional awards—not NEBOSH or IOSH qualifications.