COSHH assessment template for adhesives

Assess the adhesive you actually use, in the way you use it. “Adhesives” covers very different products: water-based construction glue, solvent-based contact adhesive, two-part epoxy, polyurethane and products containing isocyanates. Their hazards, routes of exposure and controls are not interchangeable. This editable COSHH form helps a competent person turn the supplier's current safety data sheet (SDS) and the real task into a work assessment. It is not a pre-approved assessment for every adhesive and does not replace specialist advice where exposure or health risk is complex.

HSE's COSHH assessment guidance starts with the label and SDS, then asks who might be harmed, how exposure happens and what controls are needed. Skin contact with pastes/liquids and inhalation of vapour, mist or dust may matter. HSE notes that solvents used in construction can cause health effects and require controls chosen for the particular product and task. Do not copy a generic glove, mask or ventilation line into every adhesive assessment.

Before filling in the form

Identify the trade and exact operation: cartridge application, spreading, mixing two components, spraying, cleaning, curing, stripping or heating. Obtain the current SDS for each product and any cleaner, primer or hardener. Check the label, quantities, duration, temperature, indoor/outdoor setting, confined/poorly ventilated areas, other people nearby and waste route. Some products create exposure during mixing or curing even when application is brief. If the product is not yet selected, this form can list the questions to answer but cannot approve its use.

Try to avoid or reduce the hazardous substance/process first. HSE's control guidance gives examples such as water-based products instead of solvent-based ones and brush application instead of spraying where suitable. Confirm that a substitute still performs the technical job and does not create a different hazard. PPE is the last layer for residual exposure, selected from the assessment and the supplier's instructions—not a substitute for adequate ventilation or process control.

Copyable adhesive COSHH assessment

A. Product and task identification

Task description: “Use [product/code] to [application] on [substrate] in [location], approximately [amount] over [duration]. Preparation includes [mixing/decanting/cleaning]. Curing or drying takes [supplier instruction]; the area is occupied by [people] during/after work.” A product SDS describes hazards; this task statement determines actual exposure.

B. Hazard and exposure review

Read SDS sections on identification, hazards, composition, first aid, fire response, handling/storage, exposure control, physical properties, stability, disposal and transport. Capture the actual hazard classification/H statements and occupational exposure limits where relevant rather than copying examples below.

Some adhesives can cause skin irritation or sensitisation; others may contain volatile solvents, epoxies or isocyanates with different health implications. A water-based label is not proof of no hazard. A solvent-based product is not automatically safe because the work is outdoors. HSE's printing guidance describes dermatitis, asthma and solvent effects for some adhesives and related products, while stressing that controls depend on the process and product. Where the adhesive contains isocyanates, use the separate specialist assessment and current regulatory/training requirements; do not rely on this general page as the full control specification.

C. Controls and assigned owners

Important PPE check: “nitrile gloves” or “FFP3 mask” should not be copied automatically. Glove material and breakthrough time depend on the formulation and use; respiratory protection depends on whether the hazard is vapour, aerosol or dust and on the measured/assessed exposure. A particulate filter does not automatically protect against solvent vapour. Seek competent advice and use the SDS and equipment supplier's selection information. Record fit testing where the selected tight-fitting RPE requires it. Check whether exposure monitoring or health surveillance is indicated for the actual substance and activity, rather than marking it “not required” by default.

D. Emergency, first aid and waste

Do not pour unused adhesive or solvent into drains unless a competent environmental/waste review and product instructions expressly allow the route. Record when the spill is beyond the crew's training or equipment and requires specialist response. The emergency field should contain the actual site alarm and first-aid arrangements, not just “refer to SDS.”

E. Assessment decision and review

If a needed control is absent, do not use the adhesive until the assessment and method are corrected. Review after a product substitution, formulation/SDS revision, move to a smaller room, shift from spreading to spraying, a symptom/near miss or a ventilation failure. There is no universal COSHH rule that every adhesive assessment automatically expires after exactly 12 months; set a review system appropriate to the work and change events. The live generic Complys COSHH template currently says “reviewed annually” as a blanket legal-sounding rule; that whole-page claim should be checked and qualified before linking readers there.

Worked example: solvent-based contact adhesive in a small room

A maintenance team plans to bond a floor covering in a small enclosed room. The original risk form says “wear gloves; open window.” The product SDS identifies solvent vapour and skin hazards, while the room has little air movement and another trade will work next door. The assessor first asks whether a lower-emission compatible product or different bonding method can be used. If not, they calculate expected amount and time, assess whether effective ventilation/extraction is available, choose gloves and eye protection compatible with the actual formulation, control ignition sources if flammability applies, segregate other occupants and set a re-entry/curing plan from supplier information. If adequate control cannot be shown, the work is delayed until the method changes. The point is not that this exact adhesive always needs the same fan or respirator; it is that the control follows the product and room.

Common mistakes

• Using one “adhesives” assessment for epoxy, solvent contact adhesive and water-based glue.
• Attaching an SDS without evaluating the workplace exposure and who else is affected.
• Copying a glove or mask recommendation from a different product.
• Treating a product's drying time as proof that the room is safe for immediate reoccupation.
• Assessing application but not mixing, clean-up, sanding or waste.
• Assuming an open window adequately controls solvent vapour in every room.
• Forgetting that the primer/hardener/cleaner may be more hazardous than the adhesive.
• Leaving the form unchanged when product, process, SDS or site conditions change.

Product and link boundary

This template can support a general Complys COSHH workflow if that route and its current features are verified before publication. Do not claim Complys identifies every hazard, selects legally adequate RPE, reads every SDS correctly or approves the work automatically. The competent assessor and employer retain the decision. The generic COSHH template owns the blank all-substance form; this page owns the adhesive-specific product/task decisions and example. The exact cross-domain canonical and internal links require a final check.

Source, owner, links, product and writer-side QA

Terminal writer-side disposition: READY.