How to assess and control hazardous substances (COSHH)

To comply with the law and keep everyone safe, you must identify any substance in your bakery that could be harmful and take steps to control the risks. This process is known as a COSHH assessment, and it's a legal requirement. The best way to start is to walk through your premises and make a list of all the products and ingredients that could cause harm, from powerful oven cleaners to everyday flour dust.

What is COSHH and why does it matter?

COSHH stands for the ‘Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002’. It’s the law that requires all employers to control substances that are hazardous to health. For a bakery owner, this means you have a legal duty to protect your employees and anyone else (like customers or contractors) from the harmful effects of substances you use or create during your work.

Failing to comply can lead to serious health issues for your team, enforcement action from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), and significant fines. More importantly, a good COSHH system ensures your workplace is safe for everyone.

What counts as a hazardous substance in a bakery?

It’s not just about chemicals in bottles. A hazardous substance can be any solid, liquid, vapour, gas, or dust that can cause harm. In a bakery, common examples include:

• Cleaning products: Oven cleaners, floor cleaners, sanitisers, drain unblockers, and disinfectants. Look for the hazard symbols (like a skull and crossbones or a corrosive warning) on the packaging.
• Flour dust: This is a major one. Regularly breathing in high concentrations of flour dust can lead to occupational asthma, often called "baker's asthma".
• Other ingredients: Some enzyme improvers, flavourings, and spices can also be irritants or cause allergic reactions.
• Gases: Carbon dioxide (CO2) from beverage dispensers can be a hazard in enclosed spaces like cellars.

The 5 steps to your COSHH assessment

The HSE recommends a simple five-step process to manage hazardous substances. This doesn't need to be overly complicated for a small business.

1. Identify the hazards

   Walk around your bakery and list every substance that might be harmful. Check the labels on products. For chemicals supplied for work use, your supplier must provide a Safety Data Sheet (SDS), which gives detailed information about the hazards.

2. Decide who might be harmed and how

   Think about your staff – bakers, cleaners, counter staff. Who is exposed to the substance? How could they be harmed? For example, bakers are exposed to flour dust by breathing it in. Cleaners might get chemical burns on their skin from strong cleaning products.

3. Evaluate the risks and implement control measures

   This is the most critical step. You need to decide what to do to reduce the risk. The best approach is to follow the ‘hierarchy of control’:

   • Eliminate: Can you stop using the substance altogether?
   • Substitute: Can you replace it with something safer? For example, using a milder, pH-neutral cleaner instead of a corrosive one.
   • Control the exposure: If you can't eliminate or substitute, control the risk. This could be through good ventilation and dust extraction systems, using vacuums with HEPA filters instead of sweeping flour, or storing chemicals in a locked, bunded cabinet.
   • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): This is the last line of defence. If there is still a risk after implementing other controls, you must provide PPE like gloves, goggles, or respiratory masks. You must also train staff how to use it correctly.
4. Record your findings

   You must write down your findings. This is your COSHH risk assessment. It proves you have identified the risks and put controls in place. For most small bakeries, a simple table listing the substance, the hazard, who is at risk, and the control measures you’ve taken is perfectly adequate.

5. Review your assessment regularly

   You should review your assessment at least once a year, or immediately if anything changes. For example, if you start using a new cleaning product or change your baking process, you’ll need to update your assessment.

Training your team is essential

You can have the best control measures in the world, but they are useless if your staff don't follow them. You must train your employees on the risks, the control measures you have put in place, how to use PPE correctly, and what to do in an emergency.

Top Tip: Keep all your COSHH risk assessments and the Safety Data Sheets for your products in a single, clearly labelled folder. Make sure all staff know where it is and can access it easily. This forms the core of your COSHH management system.