Chemical Register Template: What UK Employers Must Include

What Is a Chemical Register?

A chemical register is a single list of every hazardous substance your business uses, stores, or creates. For each substance, it records key information: what it is, where it is used, how hazardous it is, and whether it has a current COSHH assessment.

Think of it as an inventory of chemicals, the same way you might maintain an asset register for equipment. Without one, you are guessing which substances you have, where they are, and whether you have assessed them all.

Is a Chemical Register a Legal Requirement?

Not explicitly. The COSHH Regulations 2002 require you to assess every hazardous substance in your workplace, but they do not specifically mandate a register. However, in practice, you cannot comply with COSHH without knowing what substances you have.

The HSE expects you to be able to demonstrate that you have identified and assessed every hazardous substance. A chemical register is the most straightforward way to prove this. Inspectors routinely ask to see one.

If your business manufactures, imports, or formulates chemicals regulated under UK REACH, a chemical inventory may be explicitly required as part of your registration or downstream user obligations. For most businesses that simply use commercial products, COSHH is the relevant regulation — but the chemical register is equally useful.

What Should a Chemical Register Include?

At a minimum, your register should record these fields for every substance:

Essential fields

Field	What to record	Why it matters
Product name	Exact commercial name as shown on the container	Identifies the specific product (not just "bleach" — which bleach?)
Supplier	Manufacturer or distributor name	You need to know who to contact for SDS updates
SDS reference	Document number and issue date	Confirms you have the current Safety Data Sheet
Hazard classification	GHS pictograms, signal word, H-phrases	Quick reference for the severity and type of hazard
Location(s)	Where the substance is used and stored	Tells you which sites and areas are affected
Quantity	Typical amount kept on site	Affects risk level and emergency planning
COSHH assessment status	Current / overdue / not yet assessed	Shows your compliance coverage at a glance
Assessment review date	When the linked assessment is next due for review	Prevents overdue reviews slipping through

Optional but useful fields

CAS number — unique chemical identifier, useful if you need to look up exposure limits or toxicology data
Risk rating — low/medium/high based on the COSHH assessment conclusion
Linked assessment ID — cross-reference to the specific COSHH assessment document
Date added — when the substance was first introduced to the workplace
Notes — anything relevant: "being phased out by Q3," "only used seasonally," "replacement ordered"

Chemical Register Template Structure

Here is a practical template structure you can use. Copy this into a spreadsheet or table:

Product Name	Supplier	SDS Ref	SDS Date	Hazard Class	H-Phrases	Location	Qty	Assessment Status	Review Date
Thick Bleach (Sodium Hypochlorite 4.5%)	CleanChem Supplies	CC-BL-2025-03	Mar 2025	Corrosive, Environment	H314, H410	All sites — cleaning cupboards	5L per site	Current	08 Feb 2027
Degreaser Pro (Alkaline)	CleanChem Supplies	CC-DG-2024-11	Nov 2024	Corrosive	H314, H290	Kitchen sites only	5L per site	Current	15 Mar 2027
Wood Dust (Hardwood — Oak, Ash)	N/A (process-generated)	N/A	N/A	Resp. sensitiser, Carcinogen	N/A	Workshop	N/A	Current	08 Aug 2026
[Next substance...]

How to Build Your Register From Scratch

Step 1 — Physical walkthrough

Visit every room, cupboard, vehicle, and storage area in your workplace. Photograph or write down every chemical product you find. Do not forget:

Under sinks and in cleaning trolleys
In vehicles (screen wash, de-icer, lubricants)
In kitchens (oven cleaner, dishwasher chemicals)
In first aid cabinets (some medical supplies are COSHH substances)
Process-generated substances (dust, fume, vapour) — these will not be in a cupboard

Step 2 — Collect Safety Data Sheets

For every commercial product on your list, obtain the current SDS from the manufacturer or supplier. Most suppliers have downloadable SDS on their websites. If not, email them — they are legally required to provide one.

For process-generated substances (wood dust, welding fume), there is no SDS. Use the HSE's COSHH Essentials guidance sheets as your reference source.

Step 3 — Enter the data

Record each substance in your register with all the fields listed above. This is also a good time to flag substances that do not yet have a COSHH assessment — set their status to "not yet assessed" and prioritise them.

Step 4 — Link to assessments

As you complete your COSHH assessments, update the register to show the assessment status and review date for each substance. Your register becomes your compliance dashboard — you can see at a glance what percentage of your substances have current assessments.

Step 5 — Keep it current

Your register is only useful if it stays up to date. When you bring in a new product, add it to the register. When you stop using a product, mark it as archived (do not delete it — you may need the record). When you review an assessment, update the review date.

Spreadsheet vs Dedicated Software

A spreadsheet works fine for small businesses with a handful of substances. But spreadsheets have real limitations:

No reminders — you have to remember to check review dates manually
No link to assessments — the register and your assessment documents live in different places
Version control — which copy of the spreadsheet is current? Who updated it last?
Multi-site problems — if you have multiple locations, maintaining one spreadsheet across all of them gets messy fast
Access — staff at client sites or on the shop floor cannot easily check the spreadsheet

If you manage more than 10 substances or operate across multiple sites, a dedicated system saves significant time.

COSHHmate is being built to manage your chemical register automatically as you add substances. Every substance will link directly to its COSHH assessment, review dates will be tracked and reminded automatically by email, and your entire team will be able to access the register from any device. Flat monthly pricing with no per-user fees.

Join the waitlist to be first to know when COSHHmate launches.