What to expect from a HSE inspection

Essex County Council has duties under health and safety law which are enforced by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). As part of this enforcement, fire officers cover fire safety law and local authority environmental health officers cover food safety standards.

The type of officer you deal with will depend on the area of your work and the nature of the inspection.  

What to do if you are contacted by the HSE 

If you have any form of official contact with the HSE such as a phone call, email or face to face, you should notify your line manager and the Corporate Health and Safety Team (CHST) as soon as possible. 

All correspondence with the HSE should be conducted in a professional and honest manner. 

The CHST will advise once informed accordingly, including deciding whether a member of the CHST should lead on assisting the HSE query.

You should keep a record of the conversation, including: 

• the name of the inspector 
• what the query or visit is related to 
• if they are requesting any information, and if so what 
• when they require the information 
• if it’s an unannounced visit, record any documentation that is taken or copied during visit 
• a brief log of the conversation, including times 

If the query is relating to an accident or incident that has occurred, it should be noted that all accidents and incidents should be reported as described in Accident and Incident Reporting and Investigation Policy and Guidance (HSP 12.0) (PDF, 1.51MB). 

The HSE Inspector's visit

As an enforcer of Health and Safety Law, a HSE Inspector has the right to enter any workplace without giving notice, during normal working hours. However, in some cases, where the Inspector believes it to be appropriate, they will provide advanced notice. 

The Inspector should always identify themselves and carry a photographic warrant or ID card to prove who they are.

They will normally ask for the most senior person in charge or the health and safety representative. Whatever the reasons for the visit, they will be checking the standards of health, safety and welfare, they may also give advice on how to prevent people becoming ill or injured at work.

What happens during a typical visit 

During a normal inspection, the Inspector will be looking at the workplace, how the work activities are carried out, how health and safety is being managed and check for compliance with Health and Safety Law. 

They may take photographs, measurements and samples. The Inspector may also ask to see records or other documents and to talk with employees and their representatives, openly or in private discussion.

If during the visit the Inspector finds a breach of Health and Safety Law, they will decide on what action should be taken depending on the nature of the ‘breach’. 

They should provide the Duty holder with information about any action taken or required for the purpose of upholding the health, safety and wellbeing of employees, visitors and others. This information should be distributed by the Duty holder to the relevant employees and or their representatives as necessary. 

You can read HSE Inspector Visits (HSG002) (58KB) for additional information on what to expect and how to manage the situation in the event of a HSE Inspector visit.