COSHH Regulations 2002 — Controlling Exposure to Hazardous Substances
COSHH Regulations 2002 — controlling exposure to hazardous substances
The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) are the primary UK legislative framework governing how employers must protect workers and others from exposure to hazardous substances. COSHH covers dusts, gases, fumes, vapours, mists, biological agents and cleaning chemicals — making it directly relevant across the full range of industries V-TUF supplies.
For dust extraction and pressure washing equipment buyers, COSHH determines which class of extraction equipment is legally required for a given task and which cleaning chemicals may be used safely.
What COSHH requires
COSHH places eight duties on employers, in a hierarchy of control. The most important for equipment specification are:
- Regulation 7 — Prevention or control of exposure: employers must prevent exposure to hazardous substances wherever reasonably practicable, or where prevention is not practicable, must adequately control it. For dust, adequate control means using extraction equipment of the appropriate classification at source.
- Regulation 9 — Maintenance, examination and test of control measures: LEV (local exhaust ventilation) equipment — which includes industrial dust extractors used at source — must be examined and tested at least every 14 months and the results recorded.
- Regulation 10 — Monitoring exposure: where there is a health risk from exposure, employers must monitor workers’ exposure and keep records for at least 5 years (or 40 years for biological agents).
- Regulation 11 — Health surveillance: required where workers are exposed to substances that cause occupational diseases (including occupational asthma from wood dust, dermatitis from cleaning chemicals, silicosis from RCS).
The L, M, H dust classification system
COSHH, read together with the HSE dust classification guidance, establishes three classes of vacuum and extraction equipment — L, M and H — based on the hazard of the dust being captured:
- L-Class (Low hazard): for dusts with an occupational exposure limit above 1 mg/m³. General building debris, wood shavings, dry soil. Filtration to 99% at 1 micron.
- M-Class (Medium hazard): for dusts with an OEL at or above 0.1 mg/m³, including general construction dust, wood dust and MDF. Filtration to 99.9% at 0.5 microns. This is the minimum class for most construction and refurbishment work under COSHH.
- H-Class (High hazard): for carcinogenic, mutagenic or highly hazardous dusts — including respirable crystalline silica (RCS), hardwood dust, asbestos and biological agents. Filtration to 99.995% at 0.3 microns. Required for any work where RCS is generated: cutting, grinding, drilling or chasing of concrete, stone, mortar, brick or engineered stone.
Not sure whether your project requires M-Class or H-Class? The answer depends on what the building is made of. See the M-Class or H-Class building material guide →
COSHH and cleaning chemicals
COSHH also governs the use of cleaning chemicals — biocides, degreasers, detergents and specialised cleaning solutions. Employers using pressure washing equipment must ensure that any chemical applied through the pressure washer is used in accordance with its safety data sheet (SDS), that operatives have been trained in its safe use, and that exposure is adequately controlled.
For softwash operators, drain cleaning contractors and facilities teams using chemical injection on pressure washing equipment, the COSHH assessment must cover the specific chemical being used and the exposure route — inhalation, skin contact, or eye contact.
Recommended V-TUF extraction equipment for COSHH compliance
V-TUF MINI HSV — M-Class
M-Class certified, H13 HEPA. The minimum COSHH-compliant extractor for general construction and refurbishment dust. 110V and 240V. SKU MINIHSV110 / MINIHSV240.
V-TUF MIGHTY HSV — M-Class, 21L
Volume M-Class extraction for sustained site use. Autostart power take-off for angle grinders, cut-off saws and wall chasers. SKU MIGHTYHSV110 / MIGHTYHSV240.
V-TUF MIDI H-Class — 21L H-Class
H-Class certified, H14 HEPA. Required by COSHH for RCS-generating work, hardwood dust, asbestos dust, and any carcinogenic or mutagenic substance. Sealed filtration and HEPA-certified disposal. SKU MIDIH110 / MIDIH240.
Compliance blog — COSHH guidance
Silica dust on construction sites: what the regulations actually require →
M-Class or H-Class: why it depends on what the building is made of →
Concrete cutting and grinding on live sites: dust control and COSHH compliance →
Asbestos in construction: CAR 2012, pre-2000 buildings and what H-Class extraction is required →
Carbon fibre dust and COSHH: what extraction is required? →
COSHH 2002 in an F1 factory: what the regulations actually require →
Workshop degreasing and COSHH compliance: what operators need to know →
Industries where COSHH drives equipment specification
Construction — M-Class and H-Class extraction, CDM 2015 →
Social housing — mould remediation under Awaab’s Law →
Healthcare — H-Class extraction for clinical environments →
Manufacturing — industrial dust and fume extraction →
Motorsport Valley — carbon fibre COSHH and H-Class extraction →
COSHH-relevant city pages
London → Birmingham → Manchester → Leeds → Sheffield → Bristol → Coventry → Liverpool → Newcastle → Bradford → Nottingham → Hull → York → Bolton → Middlesbrough → Stoke-on-Trent → Northampton → Luton → Brighton → Oxford → Cambridge → Milton Keynes → Swindon → Bath → Wolverhampton → Norwich → Exeter → Southampton → Portsmouth → Plymouth → Lincoln → Leicester → Derby → Reading → Cornwall → Cardiff → Belfast → Glasgow → Edinburgh →
Related legislation
CDM 2015 — dust management duties on construction projects →
HSE EH40 Workplace Exposure Limits — RCS, wood dust and other WELs →
Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 — H-Class extraction for asbestos work →
Awaab’s Law — mould remediation in social housing →
PUWER 1998 — provision and use of work equipment including extractors →
Trade accounts
V-TUF operates trade account terms for commercial buyers across all industries subject to COSHH. Volume pricing, UK warehouse, UK technical support, spares held for every machine in current production.
Telephone: 01522 787978. Email through the contact page.