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Non Controlled Hazardous Substances

Not every substance which you may expect these regulations to encompass are in fact controlled.Those substances which the regulations do not apply to are:

• asbestos and lead, which have their own regulations;
• substances which are hazardous only because they are:

• biological agents that are outside the employer's control, eg catching an infection from a workmate. (If in doubt, please contact HSE for advice.)

For the vast majority of commercial chemicals, the presence (or not) of a warning label will indicate whether COSHH is relevant. For example, there is no warning label on ordinary household washing-up liquid, so if it's used at work you do not have to worry about COSHH; but there is a warning label on bleach, and so COSHH does apply to its use in the workplace.