COSHH assessment vs risk assessment
Reviewed September 2026 · Written by Complys and checked against HSE and legislation.gov.uk guidance (sources below).
People often ask whether a COSHH assessment and a risk assessment are the same thing. They're related but not identical: a COSHH assessment is a specialised risk assessment focused on hazardous substances. Here's the distinction.
A general risk assessment
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require every employer to assess the risks to health and safety from all their work activities — slips and trips, manual handling, work at height, machinery, and so on. It's the broad, whole-workplace assessment.
A COSHH assessment
A COSHH assessment is a specific type of risk assessment, required by COSHH regulation 6, that deals only with substances hazardous to health — chemicals, dusts, fumes, vapours and biological agents. It goes deeper on those substances than a general risk assessment does: exposure routes, exposure limits, and substance-specific controls.
How they fit together
Your general risk assessment might flag that a task involves a hazardous substance; the COSHH assessment is where you then assess that substance properly. One doesn't replace the other — you need the general assessment for the activity and a COSHH assessment for the substances within it.
When you need each
You always need to assess the risks of your work in general. You need a COSHH assessment whenever work is liable to expose anyone to a substance hazardous to health — which, for most trades and workplaces, is a lot of the time.
Build a bespoke COSHH assessment in minutes
Complys generates a COSHH assessment tailored to your actual substances and tasks — hazards, control measures, PPE, exposure limits and emergency actions — not a generic template you have to rewrite.
Sources
- COSHH 2002, reg 6 (assessment of health risks)
- Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, reg 3
- HSE — Control of substances hazardous to health (COSHH)
This guide is general information, not legal advice. COSHH and chemical-classification rules change over time — always check the current HSE and legislation.gov.uk guidance for your work.
COSHH assessment vs risk assessment — FAQs
Is a COSHH assessment a risk assessment?
Yes — a COSHH assessment is a specific type of risk assessment focused on substances hazardous to health, required by COSHH regulation 6.
What's the difference between a COSHH assessment and a risk assessment?
A general risk assessment covers all workplace risks under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999; a COSHH assessment deals specifically and in more depth with hazardous substances.
Do I need both?
Yes. You need a general risk assessment for your activities, and a COSHH assessment whenever work could expose people to a hazardous substance.