When a health and safety inspector calls
Every year as part of their work, they go to thousands of destinations. One of the many duties they do every day is your visit.
They may have shown up without notice. This is not uncommon. The law permits them to visit at any reasonable time, even if they don't always let people know when they'll be there. A freedom of information request made by the Unite union discovered that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) undertook 7,647 unannounced inspections in 2022/23
Even if they have the authority to enter your workplace, their inspectors are nevertheless required to abide by the government's code of conduct when going into people's homes or places of business.
When they arrive:
The inspector will examine how you maintain the health and safety of your employees and anyone else who might be impacted by your work. Additionally, they could offer you health and safety recommendations or check that you're offering adequate welfare amenities like flowing hot and cold water and toilets.
The inspector may do any of the following while they are with you:
ask you about your workers and what they do
look at any possible health risks arising from the work you are doing
look at any machinery or other equipment that you have
ask to see records or other documents
take photographs
talk to workers or representatives
After the visit
After the inspector has finished looking round your workplace, they might:
offer advice (either verbal or in writing)
give you a notification of contravention
give you an improvement notice
give you a prohibition notice
prosecute you for breaching health and safety laws.
A full description of the possible notices that can be given and what that will mean to you and your business can be found in the handy HSE Leaflet that can be downloaded by clicking the link below.
