COSHH in commercial kitchens: a practical guide

Most kitchens have a shelf of chemicals strong enough to burn skin, a spray bottle with no label, and at least one person who "just uses a bit of bleach with it". COSHH is the law that says you need to know what's on that shelf, who uses it, and how they stay safe doing it.

It sounds bureaucratic. In a kitchen it boils down to a list, a lockable shelf, the right gloves and ten minutes of training.

The short answer

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) require employers to:

1. Assess the risks from hazardous substances, including how they're stored, handled and disposed of, and what happens in an emergency like a big spill.
2. Prevent exposure, or if that's not reasonably practicable, control it.
3. Give staff information, instruction and training on the risks and the precautions.

If you have five or more employees, record the significant findings. Fewer than five, HSE still says writing it down is good practice.

These regulations cover England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland has its own version, the COSHH (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2003, enforced by HSENI, with the same core duties.

What counts as a hazardous substance in a kitchen

HSE's hospitality guidance (CAIS22) lists the usual suspects:

• washing-up liquid
• dishwasher detergent and rinse aid
• drain cleaners
• oven cleaners
• disinfectants and sanitisers
• toilet cleaners
• bleach
• descalers

Add to that anything else hazardous you use: glass-washer chemicals, beer line cleaner in the cellar, degreasers for the extraction canopy, and pest control products if you handle them yourself.

Two less obvious ones:

• Cooking fumes. HSE notes they contain oil mists, irritating substances, smoke and carbon monoxide from gas-fired equipment. Extraction over cooking appliances and good ventilation are the controls.
• Carbon dioxide. HSE classes CO2 as a substance hazardous to health under COSHH. It matters in pub cellars with gas cylinders; see the cellar management checklist.

The health risks

According to HSE, the most common risks come from chemicals contacting skin or eyes, being breathed in, or being swallowed:

• Burns. Many cleaning substances are corrosive and can burn skin and eyes if splashed.
• Dermatitis. Dry, sore, flaky skin from repeated contact with cleaning products and wet work.
• Asthma and breathing problems, especially from sprays used without enough ventilation, or sprayed onto hot surfaces (for example, oven cleaner used wrongly).
• Harmful gases from mixing. Bleach-based products mixed with acidic toilet cleaners or ammonia give off harmful gases.
• Swallowing by mistake. HSE says it's still common to find chemicals stored in food or drink containers. Never do it.
• Splashes and spills when pouring between containers or carrying open buckets.

How to do a COSHH assessment in a kitchen

HSE's CAIS22 sets out the steps. For a typical pub or restaurant kitchen it's an afternoon's work.

Step 1: List every hazardous substance

Walk the kitchen, bar, cellar, toilets and cleaning cupboard. Write down every product, what it's used for, and its hazards (irritant, corrosive, toxic and so on) from the label or safety data sheet. If you don't have a safety data sheet, ask your supplier; they're required by law to provide safety information.

Step 2: Work out who could be exposed, and how

Kitchen porters, chefs, cleaners, bar staff on the glass washer, whoever cleans the lines. Think about splashes, spray mist, fumes, skin contact and spills.

Step 3: Decide what needs to be done

From HSE's guidance:

• Do you need it at all? Stop using products you don't need.
• Is there a safer alternative? Ask your supplier, and switch if there is.
• Can you buy it diluted, or in smaller containers? Easier to handle, less risk.
• Minimise pouring. Use pumps, syphons and lidded containers rather than tipping from heavy bulk drums.
• Keep products in their original labelled containers. If you must decant, use a suitable clean container clearly labelled with the contents, hazards and instructions.
• Store safely: away from heat, sunlight, food and the public (especially children), lids on, labelled, secure. Check the manufacturer's storage instructions, as some products must be kept apart.
• Provide the right protective equipment: gloves, eye protection, aprons, and face masks or visors where the label says so. Avoid latex gloves.
• Eye wash: if there's no mains tap nearby for rinsing eyes, HSE says to provide at least a litre of sterile water or sterile saline in sealed containers.
• Plan for spills: a procedure, a spill kit, and safety data sheets where staff can find them.
• First aid: staff should know what to do after skin or eye contact.

Step 4: Record it (five or more employees)

For each product: what it's used for, the hazard, who uses it, and the controls. See the template below.

Step 5: Train, supervise and review

HSE is clear that handing out safety data sheets isn't enough; staff must understand the hazards and controls. Make sure staff who don't have English as a first language understand too (pictures and posters help). Train new starters, watch that products are being used and stored correctly, and review the assessment when products or tasks change.

COSHH register template

Copy this. One row per product.

(The hazards above are typical examples; always use the label and safety data sheet for your actual product.)

Rules to give every member of staff

From HSE's guidance for employees:

• Always follow your training and the instructions for each product.
• Wear the protective clothing provided, especially with concentrates. Wear eye protection if there's any risk of splashing or you're cleaning at eye level or above.
• Check gloves for holes, tears or thin patches, and ask for new ones if they're damaged.
• Never mix cleaning substances.
• When diluting, add the concentrate to water, not water to the concentrate.
• If you splash a chemical on your skin or in your eyes, wash it away with plenty of water, get medical advice if irritation persists, and tell your manager.
• Use a scoop for powders, never your hand.
• Never put chemicals in food or drink containers. Label every spray bottle.
• Never spray aerosols onto hot surfaces, or leave them on hot surfaces.
• Only use chemicals in well-ventilated areas; make sure extraction is on.
• Clean up spills straight away.
• Tell your manager immediately about any reaction: headaches, nausea, skin problems.

Dermatitis: the kitchen's most common health problem

HSE names skin irritation as the main risk to hands in catering, from long or frequent wetting and contact with cleaning products and some foods. To keep hands healthy:

• use work methods that limit contact with chemicals and wet work
• provide suitable gloves for chemical tasks, and food-grade gloves for food handling
• wash and dry hands thoroughly, and remove contamination quickly
• provide fragrance-free, nut-oil-free moisturising cream so it's safe around food
• encourage staff to check their hands and report early signs, when treatment works best

Common COSHH mistakes in kitchens

How ShiftComplete helps

• Risk assessments: create, keep and print your COSHH assessment and register in the app, alongside your other risk assessments, so it's not lost in a folder.
• Checklists: add "chemical cupboard locked and tidy" and "spray bottles labelled" to closing checks, and a weekly check of PPE stock, with every tick named and timestamped.
• Incidents: log a splash, burn or spill in seconds with a photo, severity and notes, and mark it resolved when dealt with.
• Team announcements when you change a product or procedure, so the whole team sees it.

It helps you keep your records in one place; you're still responsible for your assessment. £1.49 per staff member per month, free for 60 days, no card needed.