Dealing with hazardous substances opens the doors to a wide range of potential dangers. When chemical safety isn’t taken seriously, both people and the environment pay the price. From immediate effects like nausea, dizziness, and chemical burns to long-term impacts such as asthma, organ failure, and even cancer, the risks of hazardous chemicals to humans are devastating. Not to mention the spills, explosions, and pollution that wreak havoc on ecosystems and communities.
Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and COSHH assessments are essential tools for ensuring safe operations. These resources will inform your risk management strategy and help you implement effective control measures.
While both of these are key components of chemical safety compliance, they serve different purposes for different stages of the risk management process.
What is a Safety Data Sheet?
Safety Data Sheets, or SDS, are documents that outline the safe supply, handling, and use of chemicals. SDS are required by law if a chemical is categorised as hazardous, or if it contains any hazardous materials. A SDS is supplied by the substance manufacturer and contains the information you’ll need to complete your COSHH assessment. However, it’s not an assessment in itself.
Contents found within a standard SDS include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Identification of the substance
- Composition
- Hazards information
- Handling and storage information
- Stability and reactivity
- First aid and fire-fighting measures
- Disposal measures
What is a COSHH Risk Assessment?
In the UK, employers are required by law to follow COSHH regulations. COSHH stands for Control of Substances Hazardous to Health. Part of the COSHH regulations is a COSHH risk assessment. This assessment focuses on identifying and managing the risks from hazardous substances in the workplace, including those generated by work processes. It involves recognising harmful substances, evaluating how workers might be exposed, and implementing measures to prevent or control that exposure.
COSHH risk assessments have three main parts:
- Identifying the hazards
- Assessing the risks
- Controlling the risks
Key differences between SDS and COSHH Assessments
While SDS and COSHH assessments work together to help provide workers and employers with a broad spectrum of protection, they shouldn’t be confused for one another. There are significant differences between the two that fall under the following categories.
Purpose: The purpose of a SDS is to provide general information on a hazardous substance that’ll help users understand the risks and handle the substance safely. A COSHH risk assessment is intended to assess and manage risk in a specific workplace. These serve different but complementary roles in health and safety management.
Source: The source of a SDS is the supplier or manufacturer of the substance in question. They would have technical and safety details about the chemical composition and hazards, and therefore be able to complete the document to specification. A COSHH risk assessment, on the other hand, is completed at the company/employer level. It is the role of those in safety management positions or competent persons with knowledge of the specific work environment.
Content included: SDS contain standardised safety information about a substance.A COSHH risk assessment involves a workplace-specific risk analysis and control measures. While a SDS informs the COSHH assessment, it does not replace it.
Legislation: SDS are helpful, informative documents that are required as part of REACH (registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals) and CLP (classification, labelling and packaging) regulations.
If your business uses or produces substances or processes that may harm health, you are legally required to control the risks to workers via a COSHH risk assessment. Most hazardous substances are covered under the COSHH Regulations, though lead and asbestos are regulated separately.
Scope: SDS are specific per product or substance. However, COSHH risk assessments are task and environment-specific. They take into account how a substance is actually used, who is exposed, and under what conditions.
Use: A SDS serves as a reference document that provides detailed information about a substance’s hazards. This includes its chemical properties, health risks, safe handling, storage, and emergency measures. In contrast, a COSHH assessment is a practical tool used by employers and safety professionals to evaluate how those hazards apply in a specific workplace setting.
SDS & COSHH Assessments: working together for safer workplaces
When it comes to SDS and COSHH assessments, think of the SDS as a manual for understanding chemical hazards, and the COSHH assessment as a blueprint for managing those hazards in a given work environment. Together, they form a dream team of health and safety tools that effectively identify potential dangers and outline the steps needed to control them.
The SDS serves as a valuable source of information for the COSHH process, providing details like chemical properties, handling instructions, and emergency measures. The COSHH assessment builds on this foundation to create proactive risk control procedures that are tailored to the actual tasks, people, and settings involved in your workplace. They are both essential parts of a thorough risk management strategy.
By using these tools correctly, you will mitigate risks, stay compliant with legal obligations, and create the safest possible workplace for your team. It’s not about ticking boxes, it’s about protecting health and building a culture of safety.
Don’t forget that both SDS and COSHH assessments must be reviewed and updated regularly. As substances change, processes evolve, or new risks emerge.
