Quick answer
Organise COSHH responsibilities so assessment, control maintenance, training, records and emergency decisions have clear owners and competent cover. Coordinate shifts, contractors and lone work. Delegating tasks does not remove the employer’s responsibility to ensure suitable arrangements or make a person competent for work beyond their knowledge and experience.
Define roles and competence
HSE COSHH FAQs explain relevant assessor competence. Identify who understands the substances, work and control decisions and where specialist help is needed.
Distinguish the assessment owner, task supervisor, equipment maintainer, trainer and person authorising changes or restart. In a small business one person may hold several roles, but the responsibilities and limits still need to be clear.
Use an ownership matrix
| Activity | What the arrangement should define |
|---|---|
| Assessment/change | Competent owner and prior approval for new work/products. |
| Daily controls | User/supervisor checks and failure response. |
| Maintenance/examination | Competence, scheduling and defect closure. |
| Instruction | Who trains, assesses and supervises staff/deputies. |
| Evidence | Current records, access and retention ownership. |
| Emergency | Who calls, withdraws, isolates through authorised roles and coordinates responders. |
These are management prompts, not a substitute for checking legal duties in the applicable framework.
Coordinate shifts and lone work
Provide current instructions and a usable handover of defects, changed products and temporary restrictions. A person working alone must have suitable task limits, contact and response arrangements.
HSE lone-working guidance requires assessing suitability and coordinating risks at another employer’s premises. Do not assume a phone number makes every chemical task safe for lone work.
Exchange information with contractors and clients
HSE substance-training guidance explains two-way contractor information: risks at the site and hazardous substances brought in. Agree product, work method, access, controls and emergency interfaces before work.
Illustrative example: a contractor changes the cleaning product on an evening shift without the site knowing. Resolve approval, information and handover responsibilities rather than assuming either organisation’s generic assessment covers the changed task.
Review performance and close actions
Check actual controls, competence, overdue examinations and unresolved workarounds. Give owners authority and resources to act and a clear escalation route for uncertainty.
Verify that actions restore control, including across other shifts. Keep the current assessment and related instructions connected; an ownership chart should make a decision easier, not add an approval barrier to stopping unsafe work.
Next steps
- Assign competent owners, decision limits and deputies.
- Coordinate shifts, lone work and contractor information.
- Provide resources, current instructions and escalation.
- Review evidence and verify effective action closure.
Read the official practical guidance — Use the current source alongside the procedures for your own business.