Aim of the course

This course aims to give learners the knowledge required to recognise substances that may be hazardous to health and work with them safely.

It explains how COSHH assessments, product labels, safety data sheets and workplace control measures are used to prevent exposure. It also helps learners understand what to do if a substance is spilled, incorrectly stored, accidentally released or causes suspected exposure.

Scope of the course

The course is designed for care workers, healthcare assistants, nurses, support workers, housekeeping staff, catering teams, maintenance workers, agency staff and others who may use or encounter hazardous substances in health and social care environments.

It covers awareness-level knowledge relating to:

1. Identifying hazardous substances.
2. Understanding exposure routes and health effects.
3. Reading labels and hazard pictograms.
4. Following COSHH assessments.
5. Applying control measures.
6. Safe handling, storage and disposal.
7. Responding to spills, exposure and emergencies.
8. Reporting concerns and control failures.

This course does not qualify learners to create complex COSHH assessments, select specialist respiratory protective equipment, manage major chemical incidents or undertake specialist exposure monitoring without additional training and competence.

COSHH also does not replace legislation specifically covering hazards such as asbestos, lead or ionising radiation.

Topics covered

The course covers:

1. The meaning and purpose of COSHH.
2. The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002.
3. Employer and employee responsibilities.
4. Common hazardous substances in health and social care.
5. Chemicals, dusts, fumes, vapours, mists, gases and biological agents.
6. Short-term and long-term health effects.
7. Routes of exposure into the body.
8. Hazard, risk, exposure and control.
9. Identifying who may be harmed and how.
10. Hazard labels, pictograms, signal words and hazard statements.
11. The purpose and limitations of safety data sheets.
12. The difference between a safety data sheet and a COSHH assessment.
13. The stages of a COSHH risk assessment.
14. Elimination and substitution of hazardous substances.
15. Engineering, procedural and organisational controls.
16. Personal protective equipment as part of a wider control system.
17. Correct use, removal and disposal of PPE.
18. Safe use of cleaning and disinfecting products.
19. Why chemicals must not be mixed unless specifically authorised.
20. Keeping products in suitable, correctly labelled containers.
21. Secure storage and separation of incompatible substances.
22. Safe transport and disposal.
23. Spill prevention and emergency procedures.
24. First-aid information following accidental exposure.
25. Exposure monitoring and health surveillance awareness.
26. Reporting symptoms, defects, incidents and unsafe practices.
27. Reviewing assessments when substances, tasks or conditions change.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, learners should be able to:

1. Explain what COSHH means and why it is important.
2. Identify the main requirements of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002.
3. Recognise common hazardous substances found in health and social care settings.
4. Explain how hazardous substances may enter the body.
5. Identify possible immediate and long-term effects of exposure.
6. Distinguish between a substance’s hazard and the risk created by a particular task.
7. Recognise common chemical-hazard pictograms.
8. Locate important information on a product label.
9. Explain the purpose of a safety data sheet.
10. State why a safety data sheet is not a substitute for a workplace COSHH assessment.
11. Describe the main stages of a COSHH risk assessment.
12. Explain the importance of preventing exposure wherever reasonably practicable.
13. Identify appropriate control measures using a hierarchical approach.
14. Explain why PPE should not automatically be treated as the first or only control.
15. Follow instructions relating to safe handling, dilution, storage and disposal.
16. Explain why hazardous products must not be mixed, decanted into unsuitable containers or left unsecured.
17. Describe the immediate actions required following a spill or accidental exposure.
18. Recognise when emergency assistance or medical advice may be required.
19. Report symptoms, damaged containers, missing labels and failed control measures promptly.
20. Follow workplace COSHH assessments and local emergency procedures.

The course reflects the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 and current HSE guidance on carrying out COSHH risk assessments. Learners should understand that a safety data sheet supports—but does not replace—a COSHH assessment.