COSHH Assessment for Cement Dust and Wet Concrete: UK Compliance Guide

Why Cement Needs a COSHH Assessment

Cement is not just an irritant. It contains hexavalent chromium (Cr VI), a known carcinogen and skin sensitiser regulated under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002. Any workplace that uses cement products must carry out a COSHH assessment before work begins.

The key hazards of cement include:

• Contains hexavalent chromium (Cr VI), a known carcinogen and skin sensitiser

• Causes allergic contact dermatitis and cement burns on prolonged skin contact

• Wet cement is highly alkaline (pH 12-13) and causes chemical burns on exposed skin

• Over 40,000 construction workers in the UK develop occupational dermatitis each year, with cement being a leading cause (HSE statistics)

If your workers handle cement in any form, you are legally required to assess the risks and put controls in place.

Workplace Exposure Limits

The HSE publishes workplace exposure limits (WELs) in EH40. For cement and its components, the key limits are:

• Cement dust (inhalable fraction): 10 mg/m³ 8-hour TWA

• Cement dust (respirable fraction): 4 mg/m³ 8-hour TWA

• Chromium VI compounds: 0.01 mg/m³ 8-hour TWA (this is an extremely low limit, reflecting the serious health risk)

• Respirable crystalline silica (found in cement): 0.1 mg/m³ 8-hour TWA

Your COSHH assessment must reference these WELs and explain how your controls keep exposure below them. If air monitoring shows levels approaching the WEL, you need to increase controls immediately.

Writing the COSHH Assessment: Step by Step

A COSHH assessment for cement should follow a structured process. Here is how to work through each step.

Step 1: Identify the Substance

Be specific about which cement product is in use. Different products carry different risks. Common types include:

• Portland cement (OPC)

• Ready-mix concrete

• Mortar and grout

• Tile adhesive and cement-based renders

Obtain the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) from the manufacturer. Record the product name, supplier, GHS classifications, and any hazardous components listed.

Step 2: Determine Exposure Routes

Skin contact is the primary risk with cement. Wet concrete trapped against the skin (inside boots, under kneepads, or soaking through clothing) causes the most severe injuries. Inhalation of cement dust is the secondary risk, particularly during mixing, cutting, and sweeping. Your assessment should address both routes.

Step 3: Identify Who Is at Risk

List every role that may come into contact with cement products on your site. This typically includes:

• Bricklayers and blocklayers

• Plasterers and renderers

• Ground workers pouring foundations and slabs

• Anyone handling or mixing wet concrete, mortar, or grout

• Labourers sweeping or cleaning cement-contaminated areas

Do not forget workers in adjacent areas who may be exposed to airborne dust.

Step 4: Define Control Measures

Apply controls in order of the hierarchy of control, starting with the most effective:

Substitution: Use low-chromium cement where possible. EU Directive 2003/53/EC (adopted in the UK) requires cement to contain less than 2 ppm of soluble Cr VI. However, low-chromium cement still causes irritant contact dermatitis, so it is not a complete solution.

Engineering controls: Use pre-mixed materials to reduce dust generation. Set up enclosed or well-ventilated mixing areas. Use water suppression or local exhaust ventilation (LEV) when cutting cement products. Avoid dry sweeping; use a vacuum with an H-class filter instead.

PPE: Provide waterproof gloves (nitrile, not latex, as latex does not resist cement alkalinity). Apply barrier cream before handling cement, not after. Require long sleeves and trousers tucked into boots to prevent concrete entering footwear. Provide RPE (minimum FFP2) for any task that generates visible dust, such as mixing or cutting.

Hygiene measures: Wash exposed skin within 20 minutes of contact with cement. Provide clean water and soap at the work area, not just in the welfare facilities. Moisturise skin after washing to restore the skin barrier. Change contaminated clothing as soon as practicable.

Step 5: Health Surveillance

Under Regulation 11 of COSHH 2002, health surveillance is required for workers regularly exposed to cement. This should include:

• A baseline skin questionnaire before the worker starts cement-related tasks

• Skin checks by a trained responsible person every 3 to 6 months

• Referral to an occupational health professional if any signs of dermatitis are found (redness, cracking, itching, blistering)

• Records kept for at least 40 years (as Cr VI is a carcinogen)

Early detection is critical. Allergic contact dermatitis from chromium VI is permanent once sensitisation occurs. The worker will never be able to safely handle cement again.

Step 6: Emergency First Aid

Your COSHH assessment should include first aid procedures for cement burns:

• Remove contaminated clothing immediately

• Flush the affected skin with clean running water for at least 20 minutes

• Do not use solvents or abrasive cleaners on cement burns

• Seek medical attention if skin is blistered, broken, or if the burn covers a large area

• For eye exposure: irrigate with clean water for at least 20 minutes and seek immediate medical attention

Common Mistakes in Cement COSHH Assessments

These are the errors that auditors and HSE inspectors see most often:

• Focusing only on cement dust and ignoring wet concrete exposure entirely. Wet contact causes more dermatitis cases than dust inhalation.

• Not providing waterproof gloves, or providing the wrong type. Standard cotton or latex gloves do not protect against cement alkalinity. Nitrile or PVC gloves are required.

• Omitting chromium VI from the assessment. Even with low-chromium cement, trace amounts are present and must be documented.

• Not recording skin condition checks. Without documented health surveillance, you cannot demonstrate compliance with Regulation 11.

• Treating the COSHH assessment as a one-off document. It must be reviewed whenever the process, product, or workforce changes, and at least annually.

Generate Your COSHH Assessment Automatically

Writing a COSHH assessment from scratch takes time, especially when you need to look up WELs, GHS classifications, and substance-specific control measures. SwiftRMS generates COSHH assessments that include all of this automatically, pre-populated with the correct regulatory data for each substance you add.

Each generated assessment includes substance-specific WELs, GHS classifications, recommended PPE, control measures, and health surveillance requirements. You can edit, export to PDF, and share with your team. Try it free today.

Related Guides

• COSHH Regulations UK: The Complete Guide

• COSHH Assessment for Silica Dust

• Construction Risk Assessment Template

Cement Burns: Recognition and Treatment

Cement burns are chemical burns, not thermal burns. The high alkalinity of wet cement (pH 12-13) attacks skin on contact, and the damage can take hours to develop. A worker may not notice the burn until significant tissue damage has already occurred. This delayed onset makes cement burns particularly dangerous on construction sites.

Symptoms progress through stages: initial redness and irritation, followed by blistering, and in severe cases, deep tissue damage that may require skin grafts. Burns commonly occur on the hands, knees, and ankles where wet cement soaks through clothing or pools inside boots.

Immediate treatment is critical. Follow these steps:

• Flush the affected area immediately with clean water for a minimum of 20 minutes

• Remove ALL contaminated clothing, including boots and socks

• Do not apply creams or ointments to the burn

• Seek medical attention for any burn larger than a 50p coin

• Record the incident in the accident book and report under RIDDOR if the worker is off for 7 or more days

Prevention is always better than treatment. Apply barrier cream before starting work (not after contact has occurred), wear waterproof gloves at all times when handling cement, and wash any exposed skin within 20 minutes of contact.

Choosing the Right Gloves for Cement Work

Not all gloves protect against cement. Choosing the wrong type gives workers a false sense of security while cement attacks the skin underneath. Your COSHH assessment should specify the exact glove type required for each cement-handling task.

Nitrile gloves offer the best chemical resistance for cement work. Use a minimum thickness of 0.3mm for general handling and 0.5mm for prolonged contact with wet concrete. These provide a reliable barrier against both the alkalinity and chromium content of cement.

Several common glove types are unsuitable for cement work:

• Latex: poor resistance to cement chemicals, plus a significant allergy risk for many workers

• Vinyl: tears easily and provides poor chemical resistance under working conditions

• Leather: absorbs moisture and holds wet cement against the skin, making contact worse

Replace gloves immediately if they are punctured, torn, or contaminated on the inside. In cold weather, consider wearing cotton liner gloves inside nitrile gloves for comfort without sacrificing protection. For pouring or mixing wet concrete, use gauntlet-style gloves with a long cuff that prevents cement from running down into the glove.

Always check that gloves conform to EN 374 for chemical protection. This standard confirms the gloves have been tested against chemical permeation and will provide the rated level of protection.

Low Chromium Cement: Does It Solve the Problem?

EU Directive 2003/53/EC required all cement sold in Europe to contain less than 2 parts per million (ppm) of water-soluble hexavalent chromium (Cr VI). This is achieved by adding ferrous sulphate during manufacture, which reduces the Cr VI to the less harmful trivalent form.

This regulation has significantly reduced the incidence of allergic contact dermatitis among cement workers. However, it does not eliminate all skin risks. Cement remains highly alkaline at pH 12-13, regardless of its chromium content. This means irritant contact dermatitis is still caused by the alkalinity alone, and it affects anyone with prolonged unprotected skin contact.

Full PPE and engineering controls are still required even when using low-chromium cement. Your COSHH assessment should not be relaxed based on the chromium content alone.

One additional consideration: the ferrous sulphate additive has a limited shelf life. Over time it degrades, which means older bags of cement may have higher Cr VI levels than when they were manufactured. Check dates on cement bags and rotate stock appropriately.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can cement cause permanent damage?

Yes. Severe cement burns can cause deep tissue damage requiring skin grafts. Chronic exposure leads to allergic contact dermatitis, which is a lifelong condition. Once sensitised to chromium VI, any future contact with cement causes a severe skin reaction.

Do I need a COSHH assessment for every type of cement?

You need to assess every cement product used on site. Different products have different compositions and risk levels. Ready-mix concrete, mortar, tile adhesive, and render all need separate consideration in your assessment, though they can be grouped where hazards and controls are similar.

What is the difference between irritant and allergic dermatitis from cement?

Irritant contact dermatitis is caused by the alkaline pH of cement and affects anyone with prolonged skin contact. Allergic contact dermatitis is an immune response to hexavalent chromium (Cr VI) and only affects sensitised individuals. Both are preventable with proper gloves and hygiene.

How long can I work with wet cement without gloves?

You should never handle wet cement without waterproof gloves. Cement burns can begin within minutes of skin contact, though you may not feel them for hours. There is no safe exposure duration for unprotected skin contact with wet cement.

Is cement dust as dangerous as silica dust?

Cement dust contains silica (typically 20-25% of Portland cement by weight), so it carries silica inhalation risks as well as skin contact risks. The workplace exposure limit (WEL) for respirable cement dust is 4 mg/m³, while the WEL for respirable crystalline silica within that dust is 0.1 mg/m³. Both limits apply.

Authority Sources and Further Reading

The following external sources provide authoritative guidance on cement health risks and controls:

• HSE INDG383 'Cement' (hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg383.htm)

• HSE COSHH Essentials for cement (hse.gov.uk/coshh/essentials)

• British Association of Dermatologists guidance on occupational contact dermatitis

For more guidance on workplace health and safety documentation, read our related guides: COSHH Regulations UK Complete Guide, COSHH Assessment for Silica Dust, What is a RAMS Document?, Manual Handling Risk Assessment, and Construction Phase Plan Guide.