Your legal obligation
Why SPMU technicians need a COSHH assessment
The chemical substances involved in semi-permanent makeup work extend well beyond the pigments. Topical anaesthetics containing lidocaine and prilocaine are standard practice and present skin absorption risks to the technician as well as the client. Aftercare products, skin preparation solutions, disinfectants, and cleaning agents all need to be included in a proper COSHH assessment. || For SPMU technicians, exposure occurs at multiple points during the working day - applying numbing cream to clients, handling pigments during mixing and loading, contact with aftercare products, and using disinfectants to clean equipment and surfaces between clients. || All of these substances need to be assessed under COSHH regulations. The assessment must cover what the substances are, what hazards they present, how exposure occurs, and what controls are in place to reduce that exposure.
The real problem
SPMU COSHH assessments frequently cover only pigments and miss the wider chemical picture
A COSHH assessment that addresses only the pigments and ignores the numbing preparations, aftercare products, and disinfectants used in SPMU practice is incomplete. All of these substances are used regularly throughout the working day and all present chemical exposure risks. || Pigment assessment also needs to name specific products and address their hazardous components rather than simply listing brand names. The iron oxides and other compounds present in SPMU pigments need to be identified and assessed. || CompliantDocs generates your COSHH assessment from the full product range you tell us you use, producing documentation that covers everything relevant to your practice.
2 hours
The minimum time required to research and complete a proper SPMU COSHH assessment. Our service does it in minutes.
Your trade, specifically
The risks and requirements specific to your work
Semi-permanent makeup technicians work with a hazardous chemical palette daily. Pigments contain iron oxides, titanium dioxide, and carbon black suspended in carrier solutions with preservatives like methylisothiazolinone and formaldehyde releasers. Numbing creams such as lidocaine and prilocaine present absorption risks through broken skin. The microblading pen, digital tattoo machine, and hand-held rotary devices create needle-stick injury hazards and aerosol generation during application. Working in close proximity to clients for 2-4 hours per session means prolonged inhalation exposure in poorly ventilated spaces. Eyebrow, eyeliner, and lip line procedures involve working near mucous membranes and sensitive facial areas. Cross-contamination risks include bloodborne pathogens from needle punctures, particularly hepatitis B and C. Single-use needle cartridges and sharps disposal present biological hazard exposure. Skin contact with uncapped pigment bottles and accidental splashing during mixing creates dermatitis and sensitisation risks. Many technicians work in salons with inadequate extraction or from home studios with minimal ventilation controls. Allergic reactions to azo dyes and PPD-containing pigments require documented health surveillance. Chemical storage in small spaces without secondary containment and unlabelled decanted solutions represent common exposure control failures.
The cost of getting it wrong
What happens without proper documentation
Operating without a compliant COSHH Assessment exposes you to significant legal and financial consequences. HSE can issue an Improvement Notice requiring remedial action within a specified timeframe, escalating to a Prohibition Notice if serious risks are identified. Prosecution can follow, resulting in unlimited fines for individuals under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. Your public liability and professional indemnity insurance may be invalidated if you cannot demonstrate documented risk assessments, leaving you personally liable for client injuries or occupational illness claims. Unrecorded needle-stick injuries or allergic reactions to pigments become uninsurable losses. HSE publishes enforcement actions, damaging your business reputation and client trust. Personal negligence liability means your own assets are at risk if a client develops contact dermatitis or a bloodborne infection. Clients increasingly request proof of compliance before booking appointments. CompliantDocs delivers a complete, trade-specific COSHH Assessment pack in minutes for GBP 47.99, eliminating these risks at a fraction of the cost of an external consultant or the financial exposure of non-compliance.