Reading List

A curated Reading List to support and extend learning from COSHH for Residential Care Staff.

This Reading List supports UK-wide care-home COSHH practice. It refers to HSE guidance for Great Britain, HSENI for Northern Ireland, and adult social care IPC guidance where biological contamination, laundry, waste, PPE, and body-fluid exposure are discussed.

1. Core COSHH Guidance

• HSE - COSHH basics
  The central HSE landing page for COSHH, covering what hazardous substances are, risk assessment, controls, safety data sheets, PPE, training, monitoring, health surveillance and emergency planning.
  https://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/index.htm

• HSE - How to carry out a COSHH risk assessment
  Guidance on assessing hazards, routes of exposure, who may be affected, control measures, training and record keeping, and on reviewing assessments after incidents or workplace changes.
  https://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/basics/assessment.htm

• HSE - Working with substances hazardous to health: a brief guide to COSHH
  A short practical guide to COSHH duties suitable for refreshing the main legal and workplace-control principles.
  https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg136.htm

2. Care Homes, Cleaning, and Skin Health

• HSE - Health and safety in care homes (HSG220)
  Key care-home guidance. Chapter 8 covers hazardous substances and infections, including cleaning agents, disinfectants, hazardous waste, soiled laundry, body fluids, medicines and staff training.
  https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/hsg220.pdf

• HSE - COSHH and cleaners: key messages
  Practical guidance for cleaning work, including corrosive products, skin and eye risks, inhalation hazards, PPE, hand care and following product instructions.
  https://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/industry/cleaning.htm

• HSE - Labelling and packaging
  Explains labels, pictograms, signal words, hazard and precautionary statements, corrosive symbols and the role of safety data sheets.
  https://www.hse.gov.uk/chemical-classification/labelling-packaging/

• HSE - Dermatitis in health and social care
  Information on occupational dermatitis risks from wet work, chemicals, biological agents, hand hygiene and glove use, and on prevention and reporting.
  https://www.hse.gov.uk/healthservices/dermatitis.htm

3. Practical COSHH Controls

• HSE - Chemical safety data sheets
  Explains the content of safety data sheets and why they inform but do not replace a local COSHH assessment.
  https://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/basics/datasheets.htm

• HSE - Personal protective equipment under COSHH
  Explains why PPE is a last-resort control and covers suitability, fit, training, maintenance and correct use.
  https://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/basics/ppe.htm

• HSE - Emergencies: be prepared
  Advice on planning for spillages and exposure incidents, trained responders, protective equipment, decontamination and waste from emergencies.
  https://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/basics/emergencies.htm

4. Adult Social Care IPC and Four-Nations Signposting

• DHSC - Infection prevention and control: resource for adult social care
  England guidance linking COSHH with management of biological agents, body fluids, laundry, waste, PPE and exposure incidents.
  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/infection-prevention-and-control-in-adult-social-care-settings/infection-prevention-and-control-resource-for-adult-social-care

• HSENI - Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH)
  The Northern Ireland overview of COSHH NI, covering risk assessment, control measures, safety data sheets, training, emergency planning, monitoring and health surveillance.
  https://www.hseni.gov.uk/topics/control-substances-hazardous-health-coshh

Use this list to reinforce safe practice around hazardous substances, cleaning chemicals, biological contamination, body-fluid exposure, PPE, skin health and incident response in care homes.