What Is a COSHH Certificate and Do You Need One?

No UK law requires you to hold a "COSHH certificate". What the law requires is training. Under regulation 12 of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH), every employer whose work could expose staff to a hazardous substance must give those staff "suitable and sufficient information, instruction and training". A COSHH certificate is the document that proves the training happened. That is why employers ask for one at induction, why principal contractors ask for one at the site gate, and why prequalification questionnaires ask for one before a contract is awarded. This guide explains what a COSHH certificate is and is not, what it should show, whether it expires, what it does not cover, and how the learndirect CPD-accredited COSHH Training course gets you one in around 60 minutes for GBP 25.

If you are an employer looking for the full picture of what COSHH training must cover and how to run it across a workforce, read our companion guide, COSHH training: what UK employers must actually train, refresh and record. This article focuses on the certificate itself.

What a COSHH certificate is, and what it is not

A COSHH certificate is a record issued by a training provider confirming that a named person completed a course on the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 on a stated date. It is evidence, not a licence. There is no national COSHH register, no government-issued COSHH card, and no single "official" COSHH certificate.

In practice you will come across three kinds of document:

• CPD-accredited certificates. Issued by a provider whose course content has been independently reviewed by a CPD accreditation body. This is the most common format for COSHH awareness training and is what most employers, agencies and contractors accept as evidence of the regulation 12 training. The learndirect COSHH Training course issues this type of certificate.
• Regulated qualifications. Some awarding organisations recognised by Ofqual offer formal COSHH awards on the Regulated Qualifications Framework. These are usually longer, assessed more formally and aimed at supervisors or people who carry out COSHH assessments.
• In-house training records. An employer's own record that a worker attended a toolbox talk or site induction on the specific substances they use. These matter just as much as an external certificate, because they cover the site-specific part of the duty (see below).

One point often gets lost: the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) does not approve or accredit general COSHH courses. Any course marketed as "HSE approved COSHH training" deserves a second look. What HSE looks for during an inspection is whether the training was suitable and sufficient for the actual risks, and whether the employer can show it was given.

What the law actually requires

Regulation 12 sets out what the information, instruction and training must include. It is more specific than most people realise. Employees must be given:

• the names of the substances hazardous to health they are liable to be exposed to, and the risks those substances present;
• any relevant workplace exposure limit (WEL) or similar occupational exposure limit;
• access to the relevant safety data sheet;
• the significant findings of the employer's COSHH risk assessment;
• the precautions and actions they must take to protect themselves and others;
• the results of any exposure monitoring under regulation 10, and immediately if a WEL has been exceeded;
• the collective, anonymised results of any health surveillance under regulation 11.

The regulation also says the training must be adapted when the type of work or the methods of work change significantly, and must be proportionate to the level, type and duration of exposure identified in the risk assessment. The duty extends beyond employees: anyone carrying out work connected with the employer's COSHH duties, such as contractors, must also have suitable and sufficient information, instruction and training.

Why a generic certificate is only half the answer

Look at that list again. A general COSHH course can teach you how hazardous substances harm the body, how to read a label and a safety data sheet, how the hierarchy of control works and what your legal duties are. It cannot teach you the significant findings of your employer's risk assessment, the WELs for the specific substances on your site, or the results of your workplace's air monitoring. Those can only come from the employer.

So the compliant approach has two parts. First, a recognised COSHH certificate that proves the worker understands the principles. Second, a site-specific briefing on the actual substances, controls and emergency arrangements, recorded by the employer. Together they satisfy regulation 12. Either one alone leaves a gap an inspector can point to.

What a good COSHH certificate should show

If you are checking a certificate as an employer, client or site manager, it should show at a minimum:

• the learner's full name;
• the course title, making clear it covers the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002;
• the date of completion;
• the name of the training provider;
• the accreditation or awarding body, and CPD hours where relevant;
• a unique certificate number or reference so it can be checked.

Ideally you should also be able to see the course outline, so you can confirm it covered the topics regulation 12 expects: hazard identification, routes of exposure, health effects, COSHH risk assessment, control measures, PPE, storage and disposal, safety data sheets and emergencies.

Does a COSHH certificate expire?

There is no statutory expiry date on a COSHH certificate. The regulations do not say "every 12 months" or "every three years". What they do say is that training must be adapted when the work or methods of work change significantly. In practice, refresher training is triggered by:

• a new substance being introduced, or a change of supplier that brings a different formulation;
• a new process, piece of equipment or control measure;
• a revised COSHH risk assessment;
• an incident, near miss or exposure monitoring result above a limit;
• health surveillance findings, such as early signs of dermatitis or occupational asthma;
• a worker moving to a different role or site with different substances.

Most employers and many client contracts also set their own refresh cycle, commonly between one and three years, so that knowledge does not drift. If a client or scheme specifies a period, that period applies to you contractually even though it is not a legal requirement. The date of completion on your certificate is what they will check.

Who will ask to see your COSHH certificate

• Employers at induction. Especially in cleaning, facilities management, manufacturing, construction, care, hospitality, laboratories, agriculture and vehicle maintenance.
• Recruitment and staffing agencies. Agency cleaners, warehouse operatives and care workers are often asked to hold a COSHH certificate before they can be placed.
• Principal contractors and clients. On construction sites and in client premises, contractors are typically asked for evidence of training before starting work.
• Prequalification and tendering. Health and safety prequalification questionnaires, including those used by schemes in the Safety Schemes in Procurement (SSIP) forum, routinely ask for evidence that staff are trained for the hazards they face.
• Inspectors. HSE inspectors enforce in places such as factories, farms and building sites. Local authority environmental health officers enforce in places such as offices, shops, warehouses, hotels and leisure premises. Either may ask for training records.

What a COSHH certificate does not cover

Under regulation 5 of COSHH, several hazards are excluded because they have their own regulations. A COSHH certificate is not evidence of training for:

• Asbestos. Covered by the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. Anyone who could disturb asbestos needs separate asbestos awareness training. See our Asbestos Awareness Training course.
• Lead. Covered by the Control of Lead at Work Regulations 2002.
• Substances that are hazardous only because they are flammable, explosive or radioactive. Fire and explosion risks from dangerous substances fall under separate legislation, and ionising radiation has its own regime.
• Substances that are hazardous only because of high or low temperature or high pressure.
• Medicines administered to a patient in the course of medical treatment.

Many general COSHH articles list "asbestos removal" as a COSHH task. It is not, and treating it as one is a genuine compliance risk.

Why the evidence matters

According to HSE's occupational disease statistics, an estimated 11,000 lung disease deaths each year in Great Britain are linked to past exposures at work, with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease the largest single cause. Occupational asthma and contact dermatitis from cleaning products, wet work, solvents and dusts remain common, preventable conditions. Many of these illnesses take years to appear, which is exactly why the law focuses on training and control before exposure, not after.

When something goes wrong, the training record is one of the first documents an inspector asks for. A breach of COSHH is a criminal offence under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The older figure of a "GBP 20,000 maximum fine" is out of date. Since 12 March 2015, magistrates' courts in England and Wales have been able to impose unlimited fines for the most serious offences. In the Crown Court, fines are unlimited and, under the Health and Safety (Offences) Act 2008, many offences carry up to two years' imprisonment. Inspectors can also serve improvement and prohibition notices, which are published and visible to clients.

For a worker, the certificate is portable proof of competence. For an employer, it is the first line of the regulation 12 defence.

What the learndirect COSHH Training course covers

The learndirect COSHH Training course is an online, CPD-accredited course that takes around 60 minutes and awards 1 CPD hour. It is built around the COSHH Regulations 2002 and covers seven modules:

1. Introduction to COSHH
2. Types of hazardous substances and health effects
3. COSHH risk assessment and the law
4. Hierarchy of controls and exposure limits
5. Employer and employee responsibilities
6. Safe storage, handling and disposal
7. REACH and supplementary requirements

The hierarchy of controls is taught in the correct order: eliminate or substitute the substance first, then use engineering controls such as enclosure and local exhaust ventilation, then safe systems of work and supervision, with personal protective equipment as the last line of defence, not the first.

On completion, learners download a personalised CPD-accredited certificate instantly. The course is recognised by UK employers and can be completed on a phone, tablet or computer at the learner's own pace.

Pricing

• Single learner: GBP 25
• 10 learners: GBP 212.50
• 25 learners: GBP 468.75
• 50 learners: GBP 812.50
• 100 learners: GBP 1,375

How to get your COSHH certificate

1. Enrol on the COSHH Training course.
2. Work through the seven modules online, in one sitting or over several.
3. Pass the end-of-course assessment.
4. Download your CPD-accredited certificate immediately.
5. Give a copy to your employer, and ask for the site-specific briefing on the substances you will actually use.

Common questions

Is a COSHH certificate a legal requirement?
No law requires a certificate as such. Regulation 12 of COSHH requires employers to provide suitable and sufficient information, instruction and training. A certificate is the most practical way to prove that training was given, which is why employers, agencies and clients ask for one.

How long is a COSHH certificate valid?
There is no legal expiry date. Training must be refreshed when the work, methods, substances or risk assessment change significantly. Many employers and contracts set a refresh cycle of between one and three years.

Is there an HSE-approved COSHH certificate?
No. HSE does not approve or accredit general COSHH courses. Look for a course that is independently accredited, clearly covers the COSHH Regulations 2002, and issues a certificate with your name, the date and a unique reference.

Does a COSHH certificate cover asbestos or lead?
No. Asbestos and lead are excluded from COSHH and have their own regulations. You need separate training if your work could expose you to either.

I have a COSHH certificate from a previous job. Is it still valid for my new one?
It proves you understand the principles, and many employers will accept it. Your new employer must still brief you on the specific substances, risk assessment findings and controls at the new workplace, because regulation 12 requires that information to be site-specific.

What is the difference between COSHH training and a COSHH certificate?
Training is the learning. The certificate is the evidence that the learning was completed. Employers need both: the training to meet the legal duty, and the certificate or record to prove it.

How much does a COSHH certificate cost with learndirect?
GBP 25 for a single learner, with volume pricing from 10 learners. The course takes around 60 minutes and the CPD-accredited certificate is available to download immediately.

Get your COSHH certificate today

If your job involves cleaning products, disinfectants, solvents, paints, adhesives, pesticides, dusts or fumes, a COSHH certificate is the simplest way to show you have been trained to work with them safely. Enrol on the CPD-accredited learndirect COSHH Training course today. It takes around 60 minutes, costs GBP 25 and gives you an instant certificate recognised by UK employers. Complement it with PPE Training and Asbestos Awareness Training, and explore the full range in the learndirect health and safety category.