Health and safety · Cleaning
Cleaning tender health and safety answer: COSHH, risk assessments and training
Prepared by TenderChecker. Last reviewed 4 October 2026. General guidance only — every buyer's own instructions and criteria take priority.
Short answer
Cover how hazardous substances are assessed and stored, how site risks are assessed, what training operatives receive and how incidents are reported.
Make it site-specific: refer to the buyer's buildings and any hazards they mention.
What the buyer might be asking
- How are cleaning chemicals controlled?
- How are site risks assessed?
- How are incidents reported?
Worked example (fictional)
Everything in this example — company, people and numbers — is invented for illustration.
Example question: Describe how you will manage health and safety, including the use of cleaning chemicals, on this contract. (Max 500 words)
Fictional context: Fictional bidder: Brightway Cleaning Ltd. Supplied fictional notes: COSHH assessments for every product; locked cupboard per building; accidents logged in app.
Weak draft (fictional)
We comply with all health and safety legislation. Our staff are trained and we use safe products.
What the draft misses
- Compliance is asserted, not shown.
- No mention of assessments, storage or reporting.
A better version (using only the fictional facts above)
Every product we use has a COSHH assessment [insert who reviews them and when]. Chemicals are stored in a locked cupboard in each building. [Insert how site risk assessments are completed for these buildings.] Operatives are trained in [insert training]. Accidents and near misses are logged in our app [insert who reviews and how the buyer is informed].
Bracketed text marks facts the bidder still needs to supply. Never fill these with invented figures.
Evidence checklist
- ☐ COSHH assessments
- ☐ Storage arrangements
- ☐ Site risk assessments
- ☐ Training records
- ☐ Incident reporting route
Common mistakes
- Just saying 'we comply'
- Generic risk assessments
- No reporting link to the buyer