How Many COSHH Symbols Are There?
There are nine. Each one is a black symbol on a white background inside a diamond with a red border. The table above lists all nine, with what they mean and the kind of products you will see them on.
A product can carry several at once. A solvent-based paint might show the flame, the exclamation mark and the serious health hazard pictogram together, because it is flammable, irritates the skin and can harm health over time.
Are They COSHH Symbols or CLP Symbols?
Strictly, they are CLP hazard pictograms. They come from the Classification, Labelling and Packaging Regulation (GB CLP in Great Britain), which tells suppliers how to classify and label hazardous chemicals. They are based on the United Nations’ Globally Harmonised System (GHS), so the same nine symbols are used in many countries.
Everyone calls them COSHH symbols because of how they are used at work. CLP puts the symbol on the bottle; COSHH requires the employer to assess the risk, control it and make sure staff understand what the symbol is telling them.
In Northern Ireland, products placed on the market follow the EU CLP Regulation instead, as the HSE explains. The pictograms are the same.
What Do the 9 COSHH Symbols Mean?
Here is each one, described so you can recognise it on a label.
1. Explosive: an Exploding Bomb
A ball bursting apart. The substance can explode from heat, fire, shock or friction. You rarely see it outside specialist work, but it appears on fireworks, ammunition and some organic peroxides.
2. Flammable: a Flame
A single flame. The product catches fire easily, from a spark, a hot surface or even air or water in some cases. Common on petrol, solvents, aerosols and alcohol-based hand gel. Keep it away from ignition sources and store it as the label says.
3. Oxidising: a Flame Over a Circle
A flame sitting on top of a ring. Oxidisers release oxygen, so they make fires start more easily and burn more fiercely. Never store them next to flammable products.
4. Gas Under Pressure: a Gas Cylinder
A cylinder lying on its side. The container holds gas under pressure and may explode if heated. Refrigerated (liquefied) gases can also cause cold burns. Secure cylinders upright and away from heat.
5. Corrosive: Liquid Eating Into a Hand and a Surface
Two test tubes dripping onto a hand and a metal bar, both being eaten away. It means severe skin burns, serious eye damage or corrosion of metal. The HSE notes that stricter classification rules mean more everyday cleaning products now carry it: a product that can cause serious eye damage (H318) gets the corrosive pictogram, while one that causes eye irritation (H319) gets the exclamation mark.
6. Acute Toxicity: a Skull and Crossbones
The most recognisable one. The substance is toxic or fatal in small amounts if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through the skin. Treat it with the highest level of care.
7. Health Hazard: an Exclamation Mark
A bold “!”. It covers less severe hazards: harmful, irritating to skin, eyes or airways, causing an allergic skin reaction, causing drowsiness, or damaging the ozone layer. It is one you will often see on general cleaning products.
8. Serious Health Hazard: a Silhouette With a Star on the Chest
A person’s head and shoulders with a starburst across the chest. It warns of long-term or serious harm: cancer, genetic damage, harm to fertility or an unborn child, asthma, organ damage, or a liquid that can be fatal if swallowed and enters the lungs. The damage may not show for years, which is why people underestimate it.
9. Hazardous to the Environment: a Dead Tree and Fish
A bare tree and a dead fish on the ground. The product is toxic to aquatic life. It means do not pour it down the drain; follow the disposal instructions on the label and safety data sheet.
Old vs New COSHH Symbols: Orange Squares and Red Diamonds
The old symbols, from the CHIP rules, were black pictures on an orange square. The current CLP pictograms are black on a white diamond with a red border. The HSE describes the new pictograms as very similar to the old symbols, with a new shape, design and colour.
The change happened in stages. CLP labelling became mandatory for single substances on 1 December 2010 and for mixtures (which covers most products) on 1 June 2015, when CLP fully replaced CHIP. Mixtures already in the supply chain could keep their old labels until 1 June 2017, so any orange-square label you still find is long out of date.
A few things changed along the way:
- the old orange “X” for harmful and irritant has gone; those hazards now mostly fall under the exclamation mark, and some, such as breathing sensitisers, under the serious health hazard pictogram
- three pictograms have no old equivalent: the exclamation mark, gas under pressure and serious health hazard
- the old risk phrases (R-phrases) and safety phrases (S-phrases) were replaced by hazard and precautionary statements
If you find old orange labels in a store cupboard, the product is very old. Get a current safety data sheet from the supplier or dispose of it safely.
Signal Words: Danger and Warning
Next to the pictograms, most hazardous products carry one of two signal words:
- Danger for the more severe hazards
- Warning for the less severe ones
A product only shows one. If it has hazards in both groups, “Danger” wins.
Photo: Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash
What Are Hazard and Precautionary Statements?
The pictogram tells you the kind of hazard. The statements tell you the detail.
- Hazard statements (H codes) describe the hazard. For example, H225 “Highly flammable liquid and vapour” or H314 “Causes severe skin burns and eye damage”.
- Precautionary statements (P codes) tell you how to prevent harm and what to do if it happens. For example, P280 tells you to wear protective gloves, protective clothing, or eye, face or hearing protection, with the supplier saying which.
You may also see supplementary statements starting “EUH”, such as EUH031 “Contact with acids liberates toxic gas”. These matter most when people are tempted to mix products. The HSE has the full explanation.
Where Will You Find COSHH Symbols?
In two places:
- The product label, with the signal word, hazard and precautionary statements and the supplier’s details.
- The safety data sheet, section 2 (hazard identification), which repeats the label information and adds much more, including first aid, storage, exposure controls and the PPE to use.
If you decant a product into another container, such as a spray bottle, label that container too. An unlabelled bottle is how most mix-ups start.
What Should You Do When You See a COSHH Symbol?
A symbol is a prompt, not the full story. When a product carries one:
- Read the label properly: the signal word and the statements, not just the picture.
- Check the safety data sheet for handling, storage, PPE and first aid.
- Check the COSHH assessment for that product or task, and follow the controls it sets out. If there isn’t one, there should be: see how to approach it in our guide to the 5 steps to risk assessment, or start from our risk assessment template.
- Store it correctly: oxidisers away from flammables, acids away from bleach, everything in its original or properly labelled container.
- Report spills, reactions or symptoms such as skin rashes or breathing problems.
What to Do Next
This week, pick one cupboard or store room and check every product in it. Does it have a current label with red-diamond pictograms? Do you have the safety data sheet? Does the person using it know what the symbols mean? Then read our full guide to what COSHH is and what employers must do.
If the answer to the last question is “not really”, our COSHH training covers labels, safety data sheets and safe use, live online for teams or as a CPD-accredited online course.