COSHH — the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 — requires employers to assess the hazards from cleaning chemicals and put control measures in place. For cleaning, that means identifying harmful substances from their labels and safety data sheets, assessing the risk, and controlling it with safe technique, storage, PPE, ventilation and good hand care.
What COSHH requires
Under COSHH, an employer must assess the hazards and risks from any hazardous substance used at work and put control measures in place to reduce exposure. For cleaning contractors that covers detergents, degreasers, acids, chlorine-based products and disinfectants. The duty is not just to read a label — it is to make a documented assessment of how a substance is used on your site and how the risk is controlled.
The cleaning-specific hazards HSE names
The HSE lists three main chemical hazards in cleaning. Prolonged or frequent contact with water ('wet work') causes dermatitis. Some product ingredients cause skin allergies and asthma. And some products are corrosive, causing skin burns and eye damage. These are not rare edge cases — dermatitis and respiratory sensitisation are among the most common occupational ill-health problems in the cleaning industry.
A safety data sheet is not a risk assessment
A common misconception is that keeping the manufacturer's safety data sheet (SDS) satisfies COSHH. It does not. The SDS is a source of information — you must use it to make your own assessment of how the product is used, by whom, and with what controls. The COSHH assessment for cleaning chemicals is the document that turns SDS data into site-specific controls.
The control measures HSE expects
HSE expects cleaning employers to: use work techniques that avoid or minimise contact and spills; store chemicals safely; provide PPE such as gloves, aprons and eye protection; support good hand care to prevent dermatitis; and ensure adequate ventilation. Products should never be decanted into unlabelled containers or mixed — mixing chlorine bleach with acidic descalers releases toxic gas, a classic and dangerous cleaning error.
How Optus Glean UK manages COSHH
Every product we use on a contract has a COSHH assessment, and every operative is trained in safe handling, dilution, storage and PPE before their first shift. On healthcare and clinical contracts this sits alongside BICSc colour-coding and documented method statements, giving auditors and infection-control leads the evidence trail they expect.