Your legal obligation
Why permanent makeup artists need a COSHH assessment
The pigments used in permanent makeup procedures contain chemical compounds that fall within COSHH regulations. Iron oxides, carbon black, and various organic colourants used in eyebrow, lip, and eyeliner procedures all need to be assessed for their hazardous properties and the risks they present during handling and application. || For PMU artists, COSHH exposure is not just about skin contact during application. It includes handling pigments during mixing and dilution, inhalation of fine particles if pigment is disturbed, and contact with contaminated waste after procedures. The assessment needs to cover all of these exposure routes. || COSHH regulations apply regardless of the size of your business. As a self-employed PMU artist, you are required to assess and document the risks from the substances you use just as any larger business would be.
The real problem
PMU artists often have incomplete or inaccurate COSHH documentation
Because PMU training focuses primarily on the technical skill of the procedures, the compliance documentation side is often treated as an afterthought. Many practitioners either have no COSHH assessment at all, or have a generic beauty template that does not address the specific compounds used in permanent makeup pigments. || Regulators and insurers are becoming more attentive to the compliance documentation of PMU practitioners, particularly as the industry grows. A COSHH assessment that does not name the specific pigments and their hazardous components, or that fails to address the skin penetration route of exposure, is not adequate. || CompliantDocs generates your COSHH assessment based on the pigments and products you tell us you use, producing documentation that reflects your actual practice.
2 hours
The minimum time required to research and complete a proper COSHH assessment for PMU work. Most practitioners spend longer and still question whether the result is thorough enough. Our service does it in minutes.
Your trade, specifically
The risks and requirements specific to your work
Permanent makeup artists handle multiple hazardous substances daily that require proper COSHH assessment. Pigment inks containing iron oxides, titanium dioxide, and azo dyes present dermal and inhalation risks during application and storage. Numbing agents such as lidocaine and prilocaine are applied topically but require ventilation awareness. Isopropyl alcohol and hydrogen peroxide used for skin preparation and equipment sterilisation generate vapour exposure. Tattoo needles and machine components create sharps injury hazards, whilst power equipment poses mechanical risks. Working in close proximity to client faces means eye contact risk with pigment splatter. Premises often lack dedicated extraction systems, leaving airborne particulates from pigment powder during mixing and cleaning. Cross-infection hazards from blood-borne pathogens require needle-stick protocols. Storage of flammable liquids and aerosol products demands fire safety consideration. The sedentary posture work creates repetitive strain and upper limb disorder potential. Our done-for-you COSHH Assessment identifies every substance, every task, every hazard specific to your permanent makeup studio.
The cost of getting it wrong
What happens without proper documentation
Operating without proper COSHH Assessment documentation exposes permanent makeup artists to serious legal consequences. HSE can issue Improvement Notices requiring immediate remedial action within specified timescales, backed by prosecution if ignored. Unlimited fines apply for breaches of COSHH Regulations, with individual sole traders personally liable for penalties reaching tens of thousands of pounds. Insurance companies reject claims if you cannot demonstrate documented risk assessment and control measures were in place before incidents occur. Client injury from allergic reactions to pigments or cross-infection from inadequate sterilisation protocols creates personal injury liability and potential civil claims. Continued operation without assessment invites HSE prosecution, with conviction records affecting your professional reputation and future insurability. The financial exposure from pigment-related dermatitis claims, needle-stick injuries, or inhalation incidents far exceeds compliance costs. CompliantDocs delivers your complete COSHH Assessment pack for permanent makeup operations at 47.99 GBP, generated specifically for your business within minutes, eliminating these risks for a fraction of what enforcement action or consultant fees would cost.