COSHH Training

COSHH training gives workers the knowledge to recognise harmful substances and understand the precautions their work requires. Familiar tasks can carry health risks, from using cleaning chemicals to cutting materials that release dust.

Hazardous substances include solvents, vapours, welding fumes and biological agents found in contaminated waste. Exposure can occur through breathing, skin or eye contact, accidental swallowing or puncture injuries. Depending on the substance, chemical exposure can cause burns, dermatitis, asthma or disease that develops years later.

HSE estimates around 11,000 lung-disease deaths annually in Great Britain are linked to past workplace exposure. This includes asbestos-related disease, which is governed by separate regulations.

COSHH awareness training explains why precautions matter before symptoms appear. Workers also need instructions for the substances and tasks they encounter.

COSHH Key Facts

• COSHH covers harmful substances used at work and those generated by work.
• A safety data sheet informs a COSHH risk assessment but does not replace it.
• PPE supplements other controls where further protection is needed.
• Health surveillance is required where the relevant COSHH criteria are met.

Are You Aware of Your Responsibilities?

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 place duties on employers and employees in Great Britain.

• Regulation 6 requires employers to assess exposure risks, implement necessary precautions and review the assessment.
• Regulation 7 requires employers to prevent exposure where reasonably practicable or adequately control it, prioritising safer substances, processes and engineering controls.
• Regulation 8 requires employers to take reasonable steps to ensure controls are properly used and employees to use them fully, return equipment to storage where relevant and report defects immediately.
• Regulation 9 requires employers to maintain control measures and arrange the necessary examinations and tests.
• Regulation 12 requires suitable information, instruction and training that reflects exposure risks and significant changes in the work.

For employees, this means following handling procedures, using the protection provided and raising concerns when controls fail.

How COSHH Training Can Help Your Business

Workers across sites and shifts require a consistent understanding of hazardous substance precautions. This COSHH awareness training course provides a common basis for workplace specific training.

The online format allows employers to give the same learning to teams without scheduling classroom attendance. Full audio voiceover and multilingual subtitles support access, while the assessment checks understanding.

Human Focus training records let managers track completion and certificates, making it easier to identify overdue learning. Supervisors still need to check that workers can apply the precautions during their tasks.

About This COSHH Course

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Training course covers substance identification, safe handling, storage and disposal, hand-washing, emergency procedures and reporting accidents, near misses and health problems.

It suits workers who may encounter harmful substances during their duties. Anyone responsible for assessments will need additional knowledge and experience appropriate to the work.

The course is approved by the International Institute of Risk & Safety Management (IIRSM), a professional body for risk and safety management. Approval means the course has met IIRSM’s approval criteria following independent review. It provides assurance about the learning programme, rather than a COSHH qualification authorising particular workplace tasks.