Toolbox talk · Health · about 5 minutes
Hazardous substances (COSHH)
Download the PDF with attendance sheet
Why it matters
Many products used on site can harm your health: adhesives, solvents, cement, resins and fuels. Effects can be immediate or build up over years.
The hazards
- Breathing in fumes, vapours or dust
- Skin contact causing burns or dermatitis
- Splashes to the eyes
- Swallowing through eating with dirty hands
Stay safe
- Read the label and the COSHH assessment before using a product
- Use the least hazardous product that does the job
- Work in a well-ventilated area or use extraction
- Wear the PPE and RPE the assessment requires
- Keep containers closed and labelled, and store them properly
- Never decant into drinks bottles
- Wash before eating, drinking or smoking
- Know the first aid steps on the safety data sheet
Ask the team
- What hazardous products are you using today?
- Where can you find the COSHH assessment?
- What would you do if you got a product in your eyes?
The law and guidance
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002. HSE INDG136, Working with substances hazardous to health.
General guidance to help you give a toolbox talk. It doesn't replace your site's risk assessments, method statements, permits or training. Check it against your own site rules before you give it.