COSHH Symbols Explained: The 9 CLP Hazard Pictograms

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COSHH symbols are the nine hazard pictograms used on chemical labels in Great Britain under the GB CLP Regulation. Each one is a black symbol inside a diamond with a red border and white background, and each warns of a different type of hazard, from fire and explosion to long term damage to health and harm to the environment. They replaced the older orange square symbols, which suppliers stopped using when the CHIP Regulations were replaced on 1 June 2015.

If your team handles paints, solvents, cleaning chemicals, fuels or adhesives, knowing these symbols is the first step to working safely with them. Our COSHH Awareness course page explains how we help workers and supervisors identify hazardous substances and control the risks.

Are they COSHH symbols or CLP pictograms?

Both names are used on site, but strictly the symbols come from the CLP Regulation (classification, labelling and packaging). According to HSE guidance on GB CLP, the EU CLP Regulation was assimilated into GB law after the UK left the EU, so Great Britain continues to follow the United Nations Globally Harmonized System (GHS) of classifying and labelling chemicals. Products placed on the market in Northern Ireland follow the EU CLP Regulation, which uses the same nine pictograms.

COSHH, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, is the law that tells employers how to control those substances at work. The two fit together: the supplier classifies and labels the product under CLP, and the employer uses that label and the safety data sheet to assess and control the risk under COSHH. Regulation 12 of COSHH requires employers to give exposed workers suitable information, instruction and training, including the names of the substances, the risks they present and access to the relevant safety data sheet.

The 9 CLP hazard pictograms and what they mean

The table below uses the names HSE gives each pictogram on its hazard pictograms page, with the hazard classes each symbol is used for taken from Annex V of the CLP Regulation.

Pictogram name	Symbol	What it warns you about
Explosive	Exploding bomb	Unstable explosives, explosives, and some self reactive substances and organic peroxides
Flammable	Flame	Flammable gases, aerosols, liquids and solids, substances that heat or ignite by themselves, and substances that give off flammable gas in contact with water
Oxidising	Flame over circle	Oxidising gases, liquids and solids that can cause or intensify a fire
Gas under pressure	Gas cylinder	Compressed, liquefied, refrigerated liquefied and dissolved gases held in a container under pressure
Corrosive	Corrosion	Substances that cause severe skin burns or serious eye damage, and substances that may be corrosive to metals
Acute toxicity	Skull and crossbones	Substances that are toxic or fatal if swallowed, in contact with the skin or if breathed in
Health hazard/Hazardous to the ozone layer	Exclamation mark	Harmful substances, skin and eye irritants, skin sensitisers, respiratory tract irritation or drowsiness, and harm to the ozone layer
Serious health hazard	Health hazard	Respiratory sensitisers, substances that may cause cancer or genetic damage, damage fertility or organs, and aspiration hazards
Hazardous to the environment	Environment (dead tree and fish)	Substances that are toxic to aquatic life, including those with long lasting effects

One product can carry more than one pictogram. A product that is flammable and also irritates the skin, for example, carries both the flame and the exclamation mark. Always read every symbol on the label, not just the first one you see.

Two pictograms that often cause confusion

The exclamation mark and the corrosion symbol are the two that most often catch people out. HSE explains on its cleaning products page that the corrosive pictogram is used both for skin corrosion and for serious eye damage, while the exclamation mark is used for skin and eye irritants. So a cleaning product that can cause irreversible eye damage carries the hazard statement “Causes serious eye damage” and the corrosive pictogram, even if it does not burn the skin. A product that only causes reversible irritation carries “Causes serious eye irritation” and the exclamation mark.

The health hazard symbol (a person with a starburst on the chest) is the other one to watch. It warns of effects that may not be obvious on the day, such as cancer, asthma or damage to organs from repeated exposure. These are exactly the long term health effects COSHH is designed to prevent.

Signal words, hazard statements and precautionary statements

Pictograms are only part of the label. Under GB CLP, a hazard label is made up of pictograms and written warnings that are set out in law, as HSE describes in its guidance on the hazard label. HSE lists the written parts as:

Signal word. Either “Danger” for the more severe hazards or “Warning” for less severe ones.
Hazard statements. Phrases that describe the nature of the hazard, for example “toxic if swallowed” or “may cause allergy or asthma symptoms or breathing difficulties if inhaled”.
Precautionary statements. Phrases that describe how to minimise or prevent harm, for example “wear eye protection” or “avoid release to the environment”. Suppliers usually include no more than six.

For the gas cylinder pictogram, for instance, the standard hazard statement in Annex III of the CLP Regulation is “Contains gas under pressure; may explode if heated”. Reading the statements alongside the symbol tells you what could go wrong and what to do about it.

The old orange COSHH symbols

Many people still picture hazard symbols as black images on orange squares. Those were the European symbols used under the CHIP Regulations. HSE confirms in its COSHH, CLP and REACH guidance that CLP replaced CHIP on 1 June 2015, and that although the new pictograms are very similar to the CHIP symbols, they have a new shape, new design and new colour.

The old set, shown in HSE leaflet INDG136, included:

Toxic and Very toxic (skull and crossbones)
Harmful and Irritant (a black cross)
Highly flammable and Extremely flammable (flame)
Explosive, Oxidising, Corrosive and Dangerous to the environment

Under CLP the black cross has gone. Its uses are now covered mainly by the exclamation mark and health hazard symbols, and products that can cause serious eye damage carry the corrosive pictogram instead. The gas cylinder pictogram is also new: there was no orange equivalent. If you find an old container with an orange label in a store, check its current safety data sheet, and HSE advises contacting the supplier if you are in any doubt about the hazards of a product you use.

What to do when you see a pictogram on site

A pictogram tells you to stop and find out more before you use the product. HSE leaflet INDG136 gives practical pointers:

Read the full label: the pictograms, signal word and every hazard and precautionary statement.
Get the safety data sheet. Sections 2 and 16 tell you what the dangers are, and sections 4 to 8 cover emergencies, storage and handling.
Check the COSHH assessment for the task, and follow the controls and PPE it sets out.
Store, use and dispose of the product as the label and data sheet say, and know what to do if it spills.

Learning to work safely with hazardous substances

Recognising the nine pictograms is a good start, but your team also needs to know how to act on them. Our COSHH Awareness course covers identifying hazardous substances in the workplace, immediate and long term health hazards, safe handling techniques, personal protective equipment, effective COSHH assessments and the basic COSHH legal requirements. It is suitable for all employees who may be exposed to hazardous substances as part of their duties, and for anyone responsible for COSHH assessment and management.

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FAQs

How many COSHH symbols are there?

There are nine hazard pictograms under the GB CLP Regulation: explosive, flammable, oxidising, gas under pressure, corrosive, acute toxicity, health hazard/hazardous to the ozone layer, serious health hazard and hazardous to the environment.

What colour are COSHH symbols?

Current pictograms are a black symbol on a white background inside a diamond with a red border. The older CHIP symbols were black on an orange square.

What does the exclamation mark symbol mean?

It warns of less severe health hazards: substances that are harmful, irritate the skin or eyes, cause skin allergies, irritate the airways or cause drowsiness. It is also used for substances hazardous to the ozone layer.

What is the difference between COSHH and CLP?

CLP sets out how suppliers classify, label and package chemicals, including the pictograms. COSHH sets out how employers must assess and control exposure to hazardous substances at work.

Are the old orange hazard symbols still valid?

No. CLP replaced the CHIP Regulations on 1 June 2015, and since then products have had to be labelled with the CLP pictograms. Check the current safety data sheet for any old stock you find.

Make sure everyone who handles chemicals on your site can read a label and act on it. See dates and details on our COSHH Awareness course page, or call 0333 444 0018 to talk to our team.