# Is a safety data sheet the same as a COSHH assessment?

Assess how substances are actually used, including dusts and fumes created by the work.

Jurisdiction: England, Wales, Scotland
Source check: 2026-11-03. Editorial status: source-checked draft; specialist sign-off pending.

## Who this covers
Work involving substances hazardous to health, from cleaning chemicals to dust, fumes and biological agents.

## The requirement
Assess and control exposure to substances hazardous to health. A supplier’s safety data sheet provides information for the assessment; it is not the assessment itself.

## Practical steps
- Identify substances used or generated by your work.
- Assess the actual exposure and who could be affected.
- Put effective controls in place and check they work.

## Common mistake
A folder of safety data sheets is not a set of workplace-specific COSHH assessments.

## Timing
Review when substances, processes, exposure or information about the risk changes.

## Questions for a provider
- Does this assess our actual tasks and exposure?
- Can we eliminate or substitute the hazard?
- How will controls be checked and maintained?

## Official sources
- [HSE: safety data sheets](https://www.hse.gov.uk/chemical-classification/labelling-packaging/safety-data-sheets.htm)
- [HSE: COSHH FAQs](https://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/faq.htm)

General information, not an assessment or a statement that a business is compliant.


## Describe exposure during the task, not just the product name

### Before you commission work
Collect product information alongside a description of how work is performed, including cleaning, maintenance and process-generated dust or fumes. Ask workers about unusual conditions and where the existing arrangements are difficult to follow. Tell a prospective adviser what controls are already in place.

### Follow through on the result
Ask the competent adviser to connect recommendations to the relevant task and explain how the controls will be checked. Separate any specialist measurement, equipment work or training from the assessment fee. Make sure the people doing the job receive usable instructions and know who to contact when conditions change.

## Related buying guides
- [Health and safety consultant costs: project or retainer?](https://whatcompliance.com/buying-guides/health-and-safety-consultant-costs)

## Buying the right work
- List tasks and substances, and collect relevant safety data sheets.
- Consider how exposure happens, who is affected and how often.
- Ask how proposed controls address the actual task and how their effectiveness will be checked.

## What you can do yourself
You can gather product and process information and involve staff. A safety data sheet informs the assessment; it is not a finished assessment of your workplace.

## When to get help
Use competent advice where you cannot establish or control the exposure adequately. Monitoring, ventilation and health-surveillance questions may need more specific expertise.

## Records to keep
- The tasks, substances and routes of exposure assessed.
- The controls chosen and responsibilities for using and maintaining them.
- Further evidence or checks identified as necessary by the assessment.

## Is a safety data sheet a COSHH assessment?
No. It provides information about a product. The assessment considers how it is actually used and how people may be exposed.

## Do dust and fumes count?
They can. HSE specifically highlights harmful substances produced by processes, including wood dust, silica dust and welding fumes.

Source check for this expanded guide: 2026-11-03. Specialist sign-off pending.