If you've searched for a COSHH inventory template or a COSHH register in Excel, you've probably noticed the two terms get used as if they mean the same thing. They don't — and understanding the difference makes your COSHH paperwork much easier to keep on top of.
Both are required, in effect, under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002. Here's how they differ.
What is a COSHH inventory?
A COSHH inventory (sometimes called a substance register) is a list of every hazardous substance present on your site or in your business. Think of it as the master stocklist of anything that could harm health — solvents, adhesives, fuels, cement, cleaning chemicals, gases.
A good inventory records, for each substance:
- The product name and supplier
- The hazard classification (the GHS pictograms — flammable, toxic, corrosive, harmful, irritant, oxidising)
- Where it's stored and used
- Whether a current Safety Data Sheet (SDS) is held on site
- The PPE required to handle it
The inventory answers one question: what hazardous substances do we have, and where?
👉 COSHH Substance Inventory template →
What is a COSHH register?
A COSHH register is a list of your COSHH assessments — one row per assessment, tracking which substances or tasks have been assessed, when, by whom, and when the assessment is next due for review.
Where the inventory tracks substances, the register tracks assessments. It's the index that lets you show, at a glance, that every hazardous substance in use has a valid, in-date COSHH assessment behind it.
👉 COSHH Register template (Excel) →
How they work together
Here's the simple flow:
1. Inventory — list every hazardous substance on site.
2. Assessment — carry out a COSHH assessment for each substance or task. (COSHH Assessment template →)
3. Register — log each completed assessment so you can track review dates.
Together, these three documents give you a complete, defensible COSHH paper trail: what you have, how you've assessed it, and proof the assessments are current.
Why Excel makes sense for the register
A register is a living list that grows and gets updated. An Excel workbook lets you sort, filter and flag overdue reviews with conditional formatting — far easier than a static PDF once you're managing more than a handful of substances.
Get COSHH-compliant fast
SafetyPod's COSHH templates are drafted to the COSHH Regulations 2002 and fully editable:
- COSHH Substance Inventory — your master substance list
- COSHH Register (Excel) — track all your assessments
- COSHH Assessment template — one per substance or task
New to COSHH? Start with our free COSHH guide → or browse all COSHH templates →.