Form · MHSWR regulation 3
RAMS template
Risk assessment and method statement for one activity: the sequence of work, a five by five risk matrix, PPE, permits, rescue, and a briefing record signed against the revision.
Free download · Editable PDF
Free COSHH register template
A COSHH register lists every hazardous substance a firm or site holds, with its data sheet, its COSHH assessment and where it is used and stored. This one is a landscape editable PDF and a Word document, four pages, free to use and reuse.
- Format
- Editable PDF
- Pages
- 4
- Built on
- COSHH 2002, regulation 6, and HSE L5
- Cost
- Free, always
What is in the COSHH register template
4 pagesThe firm or site
Who keeps the register, its reference, where the data sheets are kept, and when it was last checked in full.
One row per substance
Product name, supplier, what it is used for and where, where it is stored and the quantity held. Then the pictograms or main hazard, with a key to the nine GHS codes.
Data sheet and assessment
The data sheet date and version held, any workplace exposure limit, the COSHH assessment reference, when the assessment is next due for review, and when the row was last checked.
Withdrawn substances
The date each product left use, so the row and its data sheet stay on record rather than disappearing.
Data sheets received
Each new data sheet revision: what changed, and whether the assessment was checked against it.
Assessment reviews
Scheduled and early reviews of each COSHH assessment, with the reason, the outcome and the next date.
What the law and HSE say
Checked against the sourceNo named duty to keep a register
The COSHH Regulations do not require a register of the substances held. The duty is to assess the risk from every substance hazardous to health in the work, and a register is a practical way of showing that none has been missed. It is good practice rather than a legal requirement.
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, regulation 6Every substance in the work
HSE's code of practice says the assessment takes into account substances brought in and used, and those produced by the work, such as dust and fume. It also covers those used for maintenance and cleaning, wastes, and those from other employers working nearby.
HSE L5, para 49 (code of practice)Knowing what is held, and where
Where an emergency could present significantly greater risks, HSE's code of practice expects the emergency procedures to name the hazardous substances present. They should also say where the substances are stored and used, and estimate the amount on an average day.
HSE L5, para 285 (code of practice), on regulation 13Current data sheets
Suppliers must update a safety data sheet without delay when new information on hazards or risk management comes to light. It is dated as a revision and sent free to everyone they supplied in the preceding 12 months. Employees must have access to the relevant data sheet.
UK REACH, Article 31(9), and COSHH regulation 12(2)(a)Keeping the record
UK REACH requires users of a substance to keep the information they need for their duties under it for at least 10 years after they last used the substance.
UK REACH, Article 36Great Britain and Northern Ireland
The 2002 Regulations apply in England, Wales and Scotland. Northern Ireland has its own Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003.
SI 2002/2677, and SR 2003/34How to use it
Start with a walk round
List every product in the store, the vans and the cleaning cupboard, then add what the work produces, such as cutting dust or welding fume. Ask the supplier for any missing data sheet.
Link each row to its assessment
Every row carries a COSHH assessment reference. A substance without one is the gap to close first, using the COSHH assessment template.
Keep it live
Add products when they arrive, log each new data sheet revision and check the assessment against it, and mark products withdrawn rather than deleting them.
What is a COSHH register?
A list of every hazardous substance a firm or site holds or produces. It records the supplier, where each is used and stored, the safety data sheet held, and the COSHH assessment that covers it. It is sometimes called a COSHH inventory.
Is a COSHH register a legal requirement?
No. The COSHH Regulations require a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risk from every substance hazardous to health in the work. A register is a practical way to show nothing has been missed. HSE's code of practice also expects emergency plans in higher risk workplaces to identify the substances present and where they are kept.
Is this COSHH register template free?
Yes. It is free to download, use and reuse, including on paid work and for clients, with no sign-up and no email address.
Is there a Word version of the COSHH register template?
Yes. Download it as a Word document to add your own rows and columns. The editable PDF can be typed into in any PDF reader, or printed and filled in by hand.
What should a COSHH register include?
For each substance: the product name, supplier, what it is used for and where, where it is stored and the quantity held. Then the data sheet date and version, the pictograms or main hazard and any workplace exposure limit. Last, the COSHH assessment reference, its review date, and the date it was withdrawn.
How long should safety data sheets be kept?
UK REACH requires users of a substance to keep the information they need for their duties under it for at least 10 years after they last used the substance. Keeping withdrawn rows and their data sheets with the register is a simple way to cover that.
How often should a COSHH register be updated?
The law sets no interval for the register itself. Update it when a product arrives or is withdrawn and when a revised data sheet comes in. Check it in full when the COSHH assessments are reviewed, which the law requires regularly.
What is the difference between a COSHH register and a COSHH assessment?
The register lists what is held. The assessment is the legal duty: for each substance and task, it sets out who could be exposed, how, and the controls. Each row of the register points to the assessment that covers it.
More free downloads
All 80 downloads →
Form · CDM 2015 regulation 15
Method statement template
How one activity on one site will be carried out. Two pages of sequence with the controls at each stage, then plant, PPE, permits, rescue and a briefing record.
Assessment · COSHH 2002 regulation 6
COSHH assessment
One hazardous substance: its hazards from the data sheet, who is exposed and how, controls in regulation 7 order, PPE and RPE, storage, spills, first aid, monitoring and review.
Next step
The COSHH register,
The COSHH register,
tied to the job.
On the platform each hazardous substance holds its safety data sheet and supplier, linked to the jobs, materials and purchase orders that use it, with review dates tracked and every version kept.