RAMSCloud
Open navigation
SDS and COSHH assessment documents side by side

Safety data sheet vs COSHH assessment: why you need both

The safety data sheet supplies product hazard and handling information. The COSHH assessment applies relevant evidence to the way the substance is actually used or produced in your workplace.

7 minute readBy RAMSCloud editorial team
Reading theme

What the safety data sheet provides

For a hazardous chemical product, the supplier SDS can provide classification, hazard statements, composition information, exposure controls, physical properties, storage, first-aid, fire, spill and disposal information. Check that the product and revision match what will be used.

The sheet is written for a range of foreseeable uses. It usually does not know your task, quantity, frequency, duration, work area, ventilation, nearby people or the way different activities interact on your site.

What the COSHH assessment must add

The assessment considers how exposure could occur during the real task: inhalation, skin or eye contact, ingestion or injection where relevant. It considers how often and how long people are exposed, who else could be affected, what controls are already present and what further action is required.

It must also consider hazardous substances created by the process, not only labelled products. HSE gives examples including wood dust from sanding, silica dust from cutting and fumes from welding.

Why copying the SDS is not enough

HSE states directly that a safety data sheet is not a risk assessment. Copying generic PPE or first-aid wording into a form does not decide whether the process can be eliminated, substituted, enclosed or controlled by extraction, nor whether those measures work in the actual location.

The assessor should identify which SDS information is relevant, resolve conflicts with workplace evidence or exposure guidance, and document the task-specific decision.

Review note: Keep the product name, supplier, SDS title or reference and revision date traceable in the assessment. Recheck the assessment when the formulation, source, process or conditions change.

A practical source-check sequence

Use the source as evidence, then complete the workplace assessment.

  • Confirm the exact product or process-generated substance.
  • Obtain a current supplier SDS or another appropriate authoritative source.
  • Identify classifications, exposure routes, WEL information and emergency information relevant to the task.
  • Assess quantity, frequency, duration, people and workplace conditions.
  • Consider elimination and prevention before relying on PPE.
  • Specify controls, responsibilities, training, monitoring, maintenance and review.
  • Record that the named source was checked by the assessor.

Sources

Read the full guidance for more detail.