COSHH risk assessment template (UK)

COSHH: hazardous substances

The lead template in this pack. COSHH applies far more widely than people expect: cleaning products, adhesives, paints, wood dust, flour dust, welding fume, vehicle exhaust in workshops. The template covers substance identification against the safety data sheet, exposure routes and duration, workplace exposure limits, the control hierarchy (eliminate, substitute, LEV, procedures, PPE last), emergency arrangements, health surveillance and LEV testing on the 14-month cycle. One assessment per substance or per task that uses a group of substances.

Stress risk assessment template

Work-related stress must be assessed like any other foreseeable risk. This template is structured on the six HSE Management Standards: demands, control, support, relationships, role and change, with practical prompts under each (workload achievable in contracted hours, unacceptable behaviour acted on, genuine consultation during change) plus a warning-signs section and an action table. Use it per team, or per person where someone has raised concerns.

Pregnancy risk assessment template

Triggered when an employee notifies you in writing that she is pregnant, gave birth within the last 6 months or is breastfeeding. The template works through physical demands and environment, substances (with specific prompts for H360, H361 and H362 statements on the SDS), night work, rest breaks, antenatal appointment rights and facilities for expressing milk, and records adjustments in the legal order: change conditions, offer alternative work, suspend on full pay as the last resort. Built for review each trimester and on return to work.

Lone worker risk assessment template

For home visits, solo shifts, field engineers, drivers, home workers and out-of-hours staff. The template asks the question most lone-working policies skip (can this task safely be done alone at all?), then covers the work, the person (medical conditions, experience, violence and aggression risk) and the communication arrangements: check-in schedules, what happens when a check-in is missed, alarms and escalation contacts.

How these fit with your main risk assessment

These four variants supplement, not replace, the general workplace risk assessment that every employer must carry out and that must be written down once you have 5 or more employees. Start with the master risk assessment template (HSE 5 steps, Word and Excel with a 5x5 matrix), and add the fire risk assessment template for the separate fire safety duty. Guidance references last checked: 15 July 2026.

What is a COSHH risk assessment?

An assessment required by the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 for any work with hazardous substances: chemicals, products with hazard pictograms, dusts, fumes, vapours and biological agents. It identifies the substance, who is exposed and how, and the controls that reduce exposure, applied in the legal order of preference: eliminate, substitute, engineering controls, procedures, then PPE last.

Is a safety data sheet the same as a COSHH assessment?

No, and this is the most common COSHH mistake. The safety data sheet (SDS) describes the substance's hazards; the COSHH assessment covers your use of it: quantities, frequency, who is exposed, your ventilation, your PPE. The template references the SDS but makes you assess your own task.

Do I need a stress risk assessment template?

If work-related stress is a foreseeable risk in your business, you must assess it like any other risk. The template in this pack follows the HSE Management Standards: demands, control, support, relationships, role and change, with prompts under each and an action table. It works for a team or a named individual.

When is a pregnancy risk assessment required?

As soon as an employee tells you in writing that she is pregnant, has given birth in the last 6 months or is breastfeeding, you must review the risks of her specific job and act. If a risk cannot be removed: adjust her conditions or hours, offer suitable alternative work, or suspend on full pay as the last resort. The template works through physical demands, substances (including H360/H361/H362 checks), hours, rest and facilities.

What should a lone worker risk assessment cover?

Whether the task can safely be done alone at all, the hazards of the work itself, the person (medical conditions, experience, violence risk) and, critically, communication: a check-in system with a response when a check-in is missed, means of raising the alarm, and emergency arrangements. The template covers all four areas.

Do these variant assessments replace my main risk assessment?

No. They sit alongside the general workplace risk assessment every employer must have. Use the master template on the risk assessment hub for the general assessment, then add these variants where your work involves hazardous substances, stress risks, pregnant staff or lone working.

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