Your legal obligation
Why microblading technicians need a COSHH assessment
The substances used in microblading work go beyond the pigments themselves. Numbing creams containing lidocaine and prilocaine are widely used and fall under COSHH regulations. Aftercare products, skin preparation solutions, and cleaning agents all need to be assessed for the hazards they present during regular professional use. || For microblading technicians, chemical exposure occurs during pigment preparation and mixing, numbing cream application with the attendant skin absorption risk to the practitioner, contact with aftercare products throughout the day, and handling of disinfectants and cleaning solutions between clients. || COSHH regulations require you to identify these substances, assess the risks they present, and document the controls you have in place. This applies whether you work alone or with other technicians.
The real problem
Many microblading COSHH assessments focus only on pigments and miss other substances
It is common for microblading COSHH documentation to focus on the pigments and overlook the numbing preparations, aftercare products, and cleaning agents. These substances all present chemical exposure risks and all need to be included in a proper COSHH assessment. || Pigment assessment also needs to go beyond simply listing the product name. The hazardous compounds within microblading pigments - iron oxides, potentially azo compounds depending on the brand - need to be identified and their exposure routes addressed. || CompliantDocs generates your assessment from the full range of products you tell us you use, producing COSHH documentation that covers everything relevant to your microblading practice.
2 hours
The minimum time required to research and complete a proper microblading COSHH assessment. Our service does it in minutes based on your answers.
Your trade, specifically
The risks and requirements specific to your work
Microblading technicians work with pigmented inks containing iron oxides, titanium dioxide and synthetic colorants that present dermal absorption risks during application to eyebrow areas. The manual hand-tool technique involves repeated use of microblades (surgical steel needles arranged in groups of 6-18 strokes) creating controlled incisions at 45-degree angles into the epidermis. Exposure routes include skin contact with pigments during mixing and loading, inhalation of fine pigment particles during application, and blood-borne pathogen exposure from needle puncture incidents. The salon or home-based workspace typically involves close proximity work under bright LED lighting with clients positioned inches from the technician, limited ventilation in many settings, and storage of cleaning solutions containing hydrogen peroxide or quaternary ammonium compounds. Cross-contamination hazards arise from needle reuse protocols, inadequate sterilisation of equipment, and contact with client blood and body fluids. Additional COSHH considerations include exposure to isopropyl alcohol used for skin preparation and anaesthetic topicals containing lidocaine or prilocaine. This done-for-you pack specifically addresses each substance, application method and exposure point unique to microblading, eliminating generic compliance paperwork.
The cost of getting it wrong
What happens without proper documentation
Operating without documented COSHH Assessment exposes you to significant legal and financial liability. The HSE can serve an Improvement Notice demanding compliance within 28 days, escalating to Prohibition Notices that prevent you trading entirely. Unlimited prosecution fines under Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 Section 36 can reach tens of thousands of pounds, with individual directors or self-employed persons facing personal criminal liability. Insurance companies routinely reject claims from microblading technicians lacking proper COSHH documentation, leaving you personally liable for client injuries from allergic reactions to pigments or infections from cross-contaminated needles. Medical negligence claims arising from dermatitis, contact dermatitis or systemic pigment reactions cost substantially more than compliance documentation when clients pursue compensation. Your professional reputation suffers irreparably when regulatory action becomes public record. CompliantDocs delivers a comprehensive done-for-you COSHH Assessment pack specifically generated for microblading work for just 47.99 GBP, completed in minutes and ready for immediate HSE presentation, costing a fraction of the consultant fees that would range from 200-500 GBP.