Chemical inventories, COSHH assessments and asbestos registers in one place.
Manage hazardous substances under COSHH 2002: chemical inventories, assessments, safety data sheets and exposure controls linked to tasks.
The duty
What Hazardous Substances compliance involves.
The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) require employers to assess the risks from hazardous substances and put control measures in place, supported by safety data sheets and exposure monitoring.
CertFlow links each substance to its assessment, data sheet, storage location and the PPE required, so the control measures are visible wherever the substance is used.
Your legal duties
What the regulations require.
Assess the risk
Employers must assess the risks to health from hazardous substances before work begins, using safety data sheets together with knowledge of the task, the quantities and the likely exposure.
Prevent or control exposure
Exposure must be prevented or, where that is not reasonably practicable, adequately controlled, applying the principles of good control practice and the workplace exposure limits.
Maintain and monitor controls
Control measures such as local exhaust ventilation must be maintained, examined and tested, and exposure monitored where there is a risk to health or where controls could fail.
Inform, train and health surveillance
Employees must be given information, instruction and training, and health surveillance provided where exposure could lead to a foreseeable disease or adverse health effect.
How CertFlow handles it
From due date to defensible certificate.
Hazardous Substances runs on the same platform as every other discipline, so the workflow, the registry and the audit trail are identical, whatever your team inspects.
Ready-to-issue templates
A built-in COSHH 2002 report template, plus a drag-and-drop builder and bespoke PDF overlay for any client-specific form.
Automatic scheduling
Put every hazardous substances asset on a recurring examination cycle. CertFlow generates the jobs and warns you before anything falls due.
Captured on site, offline
Readings, photos and signatures are captured in the field on mobile, fully offline, and sync the moment a connection returns.
Audit-ready proof
Every hazardous substances certificate is filed in a searchable, exportable compliance registry with a full timestamped history.
From the field
What inspectors commonly find.
The defects and gaps that come up again and again on hazardous substances inspections, the ones a good system helps you catch before an auditor does.
- No COSHH assessment for substances in use, or assessments not tied to the actual task
- Local exhaust ventilation (LEV) overdue its thorough examination or underperforming
- Missing or out-of-date safety data sheets
- No exposure monitoring or health surveillance where it is needed
- Control measures in place on paper but not maintained in practice
Why it matters
Penalties & enforcement.
Failing to control hazardous substances breaches COSHH 2002 and can bring HSE enforcement, prosecution and unlimited fines, as well as long-term occupational ill health such as asthma, dermatitis and cancer.
Free download: the Hazardous Substances duty-holder guideQuestions
Hazardous Substances on CertFlow, answered.
What does COSHH require?
That employers assess the risks from hazardous substances, prevent or adequately control exposure, maintain and monitor the controls, provide information and training, and arrange health surveillance where it is needed.
What is a COSHH assessment?
A documented assessment of the substances used, the hazards and routes of exposure, who is at risk and the control measures in place, supported by the relevant safety data sheets.
How often must local exhaust ventilation be examined?
Local exhaust ventilation (LEV) must be thoroughly examined and tested at least every 14 months, and more often for certain higher-risk processes.
How does CertFlow manage COSHH?
CertFlow links each substance to its assessment, safety data sheet, storage location and required PPE, so the control measures are visible wherever the substance is used.
Can CertFlow hold an asbestos register?
Yes. Asbestos registers and other hazardous-material records can be held as assets with their own inspection and review schedules.
Further reading
Guides and reference for hazardous substances.
Duty Holder’s Guide to COSHH 2002
What the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 require of employers, in plain English.
References
Hazardous Substances: official sources
Links to primary UK legislation and official regulator guidance. CertFlow is independent and not affiliated with these bodies.
Related disciplines
Often run alongside Hazardous Substances.
RAMS
Build, approve and issue risk assessments and method statements in minutes.
Waste Management
Duty-of-care records, consignment notes and hazardous waste streams, tracked.
General Health & Safety
Workplace inspections, audits and checklists on a recurring schedule.
See it on your data
Run your first hazardous substances report in the demo.
We'll set up a live environment with your asset types and branding, then walk you through a COSHH 2002 job end to end.