COSHH in care homes and schools.
Care homes and schools use cleaning and maintenance products where vulnerable people live or learn. The COSHH Regulations 2002 apply. Here is what to assess.
- The employer assesses every hazardous product staff use, in a care home, nursery or school.
- HSE asks you to consider other people affected, which here means residents, children and visitors.
- Cleaning chemicals, disinfectants, laundry products and maintenance products are the usual list.
- Biological agents, such as infection from soiled items, are also in scope of COSHH.
- Quickler files a COSHH Record per product. It does not replace your competent person.
Assess every product, and think about who else is there
COSHH covers the staff who use the products. HSE also asks you to consider others who may be affected. In a care home or school that includes residents, children and visitors.
The working route
Read them. Ask the supplier if unsure.
Staff, how long, how often, who else is near.
Keep it, and review when things change.
One Record per product, by WhatsApp
The caretaker or cleaner starts the COSHH Check, sends the safety data sheet and says how the product is used.
File a COSHH Record for one product.
Send one safety data sheet and see the Record. £75 a month per phone number, or £750 a year (2 months free). Unlimited free dashboard accounts.
Who is responsibleThe rule
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The employer. For a care home that is the provider. For a school it is the employer of the staff, such as the council, trust or governing body. the COSHH Regulations 2002 cover the products and the biological agents staff meet. HSE: how to carry out a COSHH risk assessment asks you to consider people other than staff who may be harmed. |
What to assessThe products
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Care homes: cleaning and disinfectant products, laundry chemicals, products used in the kitchen, and maintenance products. Infection from soiled items and clinical waste is a biological hazard to control as well. Schools: the caretaker's and cleaners' products, grounds and maintenance products, and science, art and design and technology stores. See HSE's pages under HSE: COSHH and your industry. |
Staff turn over, the cupboard does notThe gap
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New staff and agency cleaners use products they were never told about. Regulation 12 asks for information, instruction and training. Review when staff, products or processes change. |
A Record for each productQuickler
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Start your COSHH Check in WhatsApp, send the safety data sheet and say who uses the product, for how long and how often, and where. Quickler files a Record named after the product, in your own Word form, ready for an inspector or a visit. Every Record sits in one list, with an audit trail of who changed what and when. It does not write the assessment for you. Write 10 COSHH records a month and that's £7.50 a record; at 30 a month it is £2.50 a record. Reports, photos and messages are unlimited. See care home health and safety audits, school health and safety audits and the COSHH guide. |
Yes. The provider is the employer, and staff use hazardous cleaning and maintenance products and meet biological agents.
Yes. The employer assesses products used by caretakers, cleaners and teaching staff, and considers pupils who may be affected.
HSE asks you to consider others affected. In a care home that is residents and visitors. In a school it is pupils and visitors.
Keep one Record per product in one list. Quickler Records come back in your own Word form.
No. This page and the COSHH Check cover hazardous products such as cleaners and chemicals.