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.
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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.