COSHH for Schools: Science Lab Compliance Guide

Schools Are Workplaces Too

Schools use hazardous substances across multiple departments, often without realising the full scope of their COSHH obligations. The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 apply to schools in exactly the same way as any other employer. The HSE's guidance on managing health and safety in schools provides education-specific advice. There are no exemptions for education, no lighter-touch regime, and the same enforcement powers apply.

The governing body (for maintained schools) or the academy trust (for academies) is the employer under health and safety law, and they carry the legal responsibility. In practice, compliance is usually delegated to a headteacher, business manager, or site manager — but the legal duty sits with whoever employs the staff.

If you are new to COSHH entirely, our guide explaining what COSHH is and who it applies to covers the fundamentals.

Where Schools Use Hazardous Substances

Schools typically have hazardous substances in at least four areas. Most schools underestimate the total because they only think about the science department.

Science Laboratories

The most obvious source. School science departments routinely use:

Acids and alkalis — hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide, used in chemistry practicals at KS3 through to A-level
Solvents — ethanol, propanone (acetone), used in chemistry and biology
Metal compounds — copper sulfate, lead nitrate, potassium permanganate, many of which are toxic, harmful, or environmentally hazardous
Biological stains — methylene blue, eosin, some of which are harmful or irritant
Gases — chlorine (generated in electrolysis experiments), hydrogen, sometimes hydrogen sulfide
Biological agents — microbiology practicals at A-level involve culturing bacteria, which falls under COSHH

The concentrations used in school science are generally low, and many practical activities use substances at levels well below workplace exposure limits. But COSHH still applies — the requirement is to assess the risk, not just the hazard. A dilute acid is less dangerous than concentrated acid, but it still needs assessing.

Cleaning

Every school uses cleaning products daily: floor cleaners, surface disinfectants, toilet cleaners, glass cleaners, kitchen degreasers, and (increasingly) biocidal products for infection control. These are COSHH substances. The cleaning team — whether directly employed or contracted — must have COSHH assessments for every product they use.

If cleaning is outsourced, the contract cleaning company is responsible for assessing their own products and training their own staff. But the school remains responsible for ensuring that the cleaners' work does not create risks for school staff and pupils, and for coordinating where necessary (e.g., ensuring cleaning products are stored securely away from children).

Caretaking and Maintenance

Site managers and caretakers often handle:

Paints and wood treatments — used for ongoing maintenance and repairs
Adhesives and sealants — some containing solvents or isocyanates
Pesticides and herbicides — weed killers, insecticides for grounds maintenance
Fuel and lubricants — for grounds maintenance equipment
Cleaning solvents — white spirit, WD-40, degreasers for mechanical maintenance

These substances are frequently overlooked in school COSHH assessments because the caretaker "just deals with it" without formal documentation.

Art Department

Art departments use:

Glazes and ceramic materials — some contain lead or other metal oxides
Printmaking chemicals — screen-printing inks, solvents for cleaning screens
Spray fixatives — aerosol fixatives for charcoal and pastel work contain solvents
Resin casting materials — polyester and epoxy resins, both of which are COSHH substances (epoxy is a skin sensitiser)
Photography chemicals — if the school still runs a darkroom, the developer and fixer solutions are COSHH substances

Design and Technology

Wood dust — generated by sawing, sanding, and routing. Hardwood dust is a carcinogen; all wood dust has a Workplace Exposure Limit
Soldering fume — flux fume from electronics soldering is a respiratory irritant
Adhesives — PVA is low risk, but contact adhesives, epoxy, and superglue have specific hazards
Metalworking fluids — if the school has a lathe or milling machine

CLEAPSS: The School's Best COSHH Resource

Most schools in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland have access to CLEAPSS (the Consortium of Local Education Authorities for the Provision of Science Services) through their local authority or academy trust membership. CLEAPSS provides:

Model risk assessments for virtually every science practical at KS3, KS4, and KS5, covering the COSHH element as part of the broader risk assessment
Hazcard database — substance-specific hazard cards with school-appropriate control measures, storage guidance, and disposal instructions
Recipe cards — instructions for preparing solutions at appropriate concentrations for school use
A telephone helpline for specific queries about substances and procedures

CLEAPSS model risk assessments are an excellent starting point — far better than generic COSHH templates, because they are written specifically for the school context with school-level quantities and school-level controls. However, they must be adapted to your specific school. A CLEAPSS model assessment assumes certain facilities (fume cupboards, ventilated prep rooms) that your school may or may not have. If your fume cupboard has not been serviced in three years, a model assessment that relies on it being functional does not protect anyone.

Scottish schools use SSERC (Scottish Schools Education Research Centre) instead of CLEAPSS, which provides equivalent guidance and resources.

The Specific Challenges Schools Face

Staff Turnover and Variable Competence

In a factory, the same workers handle the same substances daily and can be trained once and refreshed annually. In a school:

Science teachers rotate through different topics, sometimes teaching chemistry one term and biology the next. Not every science teacher has a chemistry background — an NQT with a physics degree may be teaching GCSE chemistry practicals they have never done before.
Supply teachers cover lessons at short notice and may be asked to supervise practicals without knowing the specific risks. They need access to the risk assessments and a briefing from the science technician before handling any substances.
Science technicians are often the most knowledgeable people about chemical safety in a school, but they may work part-time, cover multiple sites, or be managed by someone with no science background. Their expertise should be central to your COSHH management, not peripheral.
Cleaning staff turn over frequently. Each new cleaner needs COSHH training for the products they will use — before they start the work, not during their second week.
Caretakers and site managers often work alone and may not have received formal COSHH training for the substances they handle.

Pupils and Vulnerable Persons

COSHH assessments in schools must account for the fact that pupils are present and may be directly handling hazardous substances during practicals. Pupils are not employees, but the duty to protect "other persons" under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 applies to them.

Specific considerations:

Younger pupils (KS3) are more likely to mishandle substances or ignore instructions
Pupils with specific medical conditions (asthma, eczema, allergies) may be more vulnerable to certain exposures
Pupils with SEND may need additional supervision during practical work
The concentrations and quantities used in school practicals should reflect the age and capability of the pupils

Fume Cupboard Maintenance

School fume cupboards are critical control measures for many chemistry practicals. Under COSHH Regulation 9, LEV systems (which includes fume cupboards) must be tested at least every 14 months. Many schools let this slip — the testing costs £200-£400 per unit, and budget pressures often push it down the priority list.

An untested fume cupboard is not a valid control measure. If your COSHH assessment relies on a fume cupboard and it has not been tested, the assessment is inadequate. Prioritise this.

Chemical Storage and Disposal

Schools accumulate chemicals over decades. Science prep rooms often contain substances purchased by a previous technician that nobody currently uses or recognises. Old stock may have degraded labels, damaged containers, or be substances that are no longer considered appropriate for school use.

Conduct a regular stocktake. Dispose of anything that is:

No longer used or needed
In a deteriorated container
Unlabelled or illegibly labelled
No longer on the CLEAPSS approved list for school use
Past any manufacturer-specified shelf life

CLEAPSS provides guidance on safe disposal routes for school chemicals. Do not pour anything down the drain or put it in general waste without checking.

A Practical Approach for the School Safety Coordinator

If you are the person responsible for COSHH compliance in your school — whether you are the business manager, the head of science, or the site manager — here is a structured approach:

Step 1: Map your substances. Go department by department and list every hazardous substance. Science, cleaning, caretaking, art, and DT are the priority areas. Build a single chemical register that covers the whole school.

Step 2: Gather SDS and CLEAPSS Hazcards. For commercial products (cleaners, maintenance chemicals), get the SDS from the supplier. For science chemicals, use the CLEAPSS Hazcard database. For DT substances, use the CLEAPSS DT guidance.

Step 3: Check existing assessments. Many schools have COSHH assessments filed somewhere — often out of date and often only covering science. Check what you have, note what is missing, and identify what needs updating.

Step 4: Prioritise. You probably cannot assess everything in a week. Start with the highest-risk substances and the most frequently used ones. Concentrated acids in the science prep room and industrial-strength oven cleaner in the kitchen are higher priority than PVA glue in the art department.

Step 5: Train your staff. Every member of staff who handles hazardous substances needs to know the risks and the controls for the specific substances they use. For science teachers, this can be incorporated into department meetings. For cleaning staff, it needs a dedicated session with practical demonstration. Document all training.

Step 6: Set up ongoing management. Assign review dates to every assessment. Schedule fume cupboard and LEV testing. Brief new staff (including supply teachers) on chemical safety as part of their induction. Review your chemical register at least termly.

Managing COSHH Across a Multi-Academy Trust

If you are responsible for COSHH across a MAT with multiple schools, the challenge multiplies. Each school has its own substances, its own facilities, and its own staff — but the trust is the single employer with the legal duty.

A centralised approach works best: standardised assessment templates adapted to each school, a central chemical register, shared training resources, and oversight from a trust-level health and safety lead. Trying to manage this across individual schools with no coordination results in inconsistent compliance and gaps that nobody spots until an inspection.

COSHHmate is being built with multi-site management as a core feature — a single dashboard across all your schools, with each site maintaining its own substance register and assessments while the trust has visibility across everything. Automatic review reminders ensure that no single school's assessments quietly expire.

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