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COSHH Assessment — Clarke Motor Oil SAE 10W/30

Confirmed against the container label — the supplier sheet is the one that is wrong

The bottle was photographed on 24/09/2026 and reads PART NO. 3050845. That is the exact article covered by Clarke International's own safety data sheet, version 4 of 11 October 2024, so there is no question of a different grade.

The label carries H315 and H411. In its own words: "H315 Skin irritant" and "Toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects", with the exclamation-mark and environment pictograms. That is exactly the classification this assessment records.

Clarke's safety data sheet for the same article says the product is not classified. The sheet and the label are Clarke's own documents and they contradict each other.

The label governs and this assessment is unchanged. It is what the operative sees, it is the more onerous of the two, and it is the position AMWS is entitled to work to. The assessment is complete on its substance and awaits sign-off to come off draft.

Assessment finalised and signed 29/09/2026. The contradiction is still to be raised with Clarke International so the supplier sheet is corrected at source — owner Sean Ashton, target 31/10/2026.

Classification corrected 26/09/2026 to the container label

Revision 1 of this assessment recorded the product as not classified as hazardous in the supplied form, on the general basis that most fresh mineral engine oils are unclassified. The container in the cabinet was read differently: the Clarke label was recorded on 24/09/2026 as carrying H315 and H411 with two GHS pictograms.

Revision 1 set the PPE and spill controls for an unclassified product. The classification, pictograms, precautionary statements and environmental controls below were corrected on 26/09/2026 to what the label was recorded as saying, which is the more onerous of the two positions.

The supplier's own sheet was read on 27/09/2026 and records the product as not classified. The callout above sets out the disagreement and how it is settled.

Ref Revision Issue Date Next Review Assessor Approved By
COSHH_25 2 25 September 2026 1 June 2027 Sean Ashton Aaron Mason, Director

Key references

COSHH_25 on the COSHH Register (APP_09)

Open Safety Data Sheet (PDF)

Open Safety Data Sheet (PDF)

Clarke International sheet for API SF 10W-30 Motor Oil, article 3050845, version 4 of 11/10/2024, filed 27/09/2026. It records the product as not classified, against H315 and H411 printed on Clarke's own label for the same article. The classification in this assessment is taken from the label.

Download this COSHH as a Word document

1. Product identification
Product name Clarke Motor Oil SAE 10W/30, API SF, 1 litre — article 3050845
Part number 3050845
Supplier Clarke International, Hemnall Street, Epping, Essex CM16 4LG
Pack 1 litre
Specification API SF. For 4-stroke petrol engines — pressure washers, generators, mowers and yard plant
Active ingredients / CAS Severely hydrotreated / solvent-refined mineral base oil plus proprietary performance additives
CAS: 64742-54-7 / 64742-65-0 (typical base stocks)
Physical form Liquid
Appearance / odour Amber viscous oil, characteristic mild odour
Use Engine oil top-up and oil changes on the AMWS fleet and yard plant
Location Jason May's COSHH cabinet, AMWS yard

2. Hazard classification

Overall classification: Classified under GB CLP. Skin Irrit. 2 and Aquatic Chronic 2 per the container label. Used engine oil is more hazardous still — it accumulates polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and is treated as a skin carcinogen, so every drain-down is the hazardous operation even though the classification below is for the fresh product.

Signal word: Warning

Hazard statements (H-codes)

Code Statement
H315 Causes skin irritation.
H411 Toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects.

Precautionary statements (key P-codes)

Code Statement
P264 Wash hands thoroughly after handling.
P273 Avoid release to the environment.
P280 Wear protective gloves and eye protection.
P302+P352 IF ON SKIN: wash with plenty of water.
P332+P313 If skin irritation occurs: get medical advice.
P362 Take off contaminated clothing and wash it before reuse.
P391 Collect spillage.
P501 Dispose of contents and container to an authorised waste-oil contractor.

GHS pictograms

Oxidising Explosive Flammable Toxic Harmful Corrosive Human Health Dangerous for environment Gas under pressure
☐ ☐ ☐ ☐ ☑ ☐ ☐ ☑ ☐

3. Persons at risk

Staff Public Visitors Contractor Workers Young / Pregnant
☑ ☐ ☐ ☑ ☑ ☐

4. Routes of exposure

  • Inhalation: Negligible at ambient temperature. Oil mist only where sprayed or hot
  • Skin contact: The main route. Repeated or prolonged contact causes dermatitis. Used oil is a skin carcinogen — treat every drain-down as the hazardous operation
  • Eye contact: Transient irritation on splash
  • Ingestion: Unlikely in normal use

5. Workplace exposure limits (HSE EH40/2005)

Component STD 8-hr TWA 15-min STEL Notes
Oil mist, mineral — 5 mg/m³ 10 mg/m³ EH40/2005. Applies to mist generated by spraying, splashing or hot work

6. Frequency and duration of exposure

COSHH Regulation 6 requires the assessment to consider the amount, level and duration of exposure.

Amount used Times per day Duration per use
Medium — litres 1–5 times per day 6–30 minutes

7. Control measures — hierarchy of controls

Elimination / substitution

  • Not practicable — the oil grade is specified by the engine manufacturer

Engineering controls

  • Drain pan and funnel for every oil change
  • Bunded storage in the COSHH cabinet
  • Spill kit within reach of the working position

Administrative controls

  • No hand-washing in oil or solvent — soap and water only
  • Skin checks form part of the health-surveillance conversation under SOP 8.7
  • Used oil never decanted into unmarked containers

Personal protective equipment

  • Nitrile gloves — the primary control
  • Safety glasses when decanting or draining
  • Overalls; change out of oil-soaked clothing rather than working on

8. Storage and handling
Temperature Ambient
Location Yard COSHH cabinet, bunded
Avoid Strong oxidisers; contact with food and drink
Container Original container, closed, clearly labelled

9. Emergency procedures

First aid

Route Action
Eyes Rinse with clean water for several minutes, eyelids held open. Get medical advice if irritation persists.
Skin Wash with soap and water. Do not use solvent or abrasive hand cleaner. Remove contaminated clothing and wash it before reuse. The product is a skin irritant — get medical advice if irritation continues after washing.
Inhalation Not applicable in normal use. Move to fresh air if mist has been generated.
Ingestion Rinse mouth. Do not induce vomiting. Seek medical advice.

Spillage

Absorb with proprietary oil absorbent or sand. Protect the nearest drain first. The product is H411 — toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects, so any release reaching the yard gully, a drain or a watercourse is a reportable environmental incident: report on FORM_ENV_01 and notify the Environment Agency incident hotline 0800 80 70 60. Dispose of the absorbent as hazardous waste. See SOP 9.3.

Fire prevention

Combustible when heated. Foam, dry powder or CO₂. Do not use a water jet.

Emergency contacts

  • Emergency services: 999
  • NHS non-emergency: 111
  • AMWS supervisor: Jason May
  • HSQE support: Sean Ashton (Onyx Operations)
  • Environment Agency incident hotline: 0800 80 70 60 — if product reaches a drain, ditch or watercourse

10. Waste disposal

Fresh oil: EWC 13 02 05. Used oil: hazardous waste, EWC 13 02 05** — authorised waste-oil contractor only, with a consignment note retained.

11. Risk rating

Before controls With controls
Moderate Low

Risk rating methodology: Severity × Likelihood = Risk (S × L = R). See POL_HSQE_21 — Risk Assessment for the full scoring matrix.

12. Training requirements

  • Safe handling and decanting
  • Dermatitis awareness and skin checks
  • Spill response — SOP 9.3
  • Used-oil handling and the carcinogen risk

13. Assessment outcome

Outcome
Safe to proceed with existing control measures ☐
Safe to proceed with additional actions ☑
Unsafe — do not proceed ☐

14. Monitoring and review

  • Weekly COSHH cabinet inspection by the Site Supervisor
  • Annual COSHH review, or sooner on change of product, supplier or task
  • Review immediately if the SDS obtained differs from the label classification recorded above

15. References

16. Signatures

Name Signature Date
Assessor Sean Ashton, HSQE Consultant 26/09/2026
Supervisor Jason May, Site Supervisor
Approved by Aaron Mason, Director Signed by S. Ashton for and on behalf of the Director, under delegated authority 29/09/2026
User acknowledgement

This assessment must be reviewed annually or when circumstances change — whichever is sooner.

Method statements

No field method statement calls up this substance.

It is a fleet, plant-maintenance, office or welfare item rather than something used in carrying out a field task. The method statements held on the Van Packs site cover field operations; substances used on the vehicles, in the yard workshop or in the office are controlled by this assessment and by SOP 8.5 alone.

This assessment is one of thirty held under APP_09. The substance-specific controls are above; the system that maintains them is below.

Standard applied: COSHH Regulations 2002 (undated reference), with workplace exposure limits taken from HSE EH40/2005 and hazard classification from GB CLP. Referenced undated so a new edition does not force a re-issue of every assessment.