Our tips on how to be prepared for a Health and Safety Executive Inspection

Whatever your industry, whatever your operations within the workplace, whether you have had an accident or not the HSE can undertake an inspection (with notice) to ensure your health and safety processes, systems and practices conform to current legislation. In this blog the OMS consultants outline their top tips on how you can ensure you are always prepared should the Health and Safety Executive chose to pay your company a visit.

Safety policies, processes and procedures

Our biggest tip is to make sure your organisation has clearly documented safety policies and procedures that are both relevant to your industry and what happens on site every working day.

Health and safety at the workplace is primarily governed by the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HSWA). The Act places a legal duty on employers to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of their employees, as well as others who may be affected by their work activities. While the act does not explicitly mandate the creation of a written safety policy, it emphasises the need for employers to establish and maintain a safe working environment. However, many businesses find it practical and beneficial to have a written safety policy. This policy serves as a central document outlining the organisation’s commitment to health and safety and provides a framework for implementing and maintaining safe working practices.

The Health and Safety Information for Employees Regulations 1989, requires employers to either display the HSE-approved law poster or to provide each of their workers with the equivalent leaflet. So make sure your poster is complies and is up in central positions (you can have more than one up if you have a large site).

Internal audits

Internal audits serve as a pre-emptive measure to identify and address potential issues, often these are completed for ISO reasons or as part of your health and safety processes.

Our top tips are to complete regular internal audits to constantly review and update your safety policies, procedures, and safe systems of work, document the audit and store them in your management system for easy access.

The nominated people completing internal audits must be able to verify the effectiveness of safety equipment, check emergency response plans, and ensure that all documentation is up to date. This proactive approach will not only prepare you for inspections but also contribute to a safer work environment.

Robust safety management systems

Evidence of compliance with relevant health and safety regulations and standards is shown through having a controlled documented system.  Documentation showing your awareness of changes in regulations and corresponding adjustments to policies and procedures is key. It’s the systematic way you communicate with your employees, what your expectations are, the processes you follow for critical areas, such as incident and accident reporting. Is it complex or is it simple? Our tip is simplify!

When we’re talking systemisation here’s an example:

All of your workforce can access and use the incident and accident reporting system (whether it’s a paper log book or a safety app). Comprehensive records of all incidents and accidents, including near misses are visible within the organisation. Details of investigations conducted and actions taken to prevent future occurrences can easily be found and have been communicated.

A HSE inspector is going to review your health and safety management system and by presenting comprehensive and well-organised documentation in these areas, you can demonstrate your commitment to health and safety.

Documentation is key during a Health and Safety Executive inspection

Accurate and up-to-date documentation is a cornerstone of safety compliance. Ensure that all safety-related documents, including risk assessments, training records, and incident reports, are organised and easily accessible. Having a centralised system for document management will save time and stress during an inspection. Sitting trying to find an electronic document or a piece of paper whilst being inspected is going to be a bit red flag. Organisation is key whatever you choose to use for your safety management system (the HSE will not mark you down if you are not using fancy software but they will if it’s chaotic!).

Another top tip is to keep abreast of any changes in regulations and update your documentation accordingly. That might sound like administrative burden but if you are not compliant you will suffer the consequences during (and after) your inspection. Keep an eye on the HSE website so you can see what the latest news is (here you go – click for their news feed!).

Employee training and internal communication

Let’s be clear if you are not training your team (i.e. your competent person has never had any safety training) then you are not prioritising a culture of safety and this will be spotted by inspectors. Similarly, if you are not communicating health and safety matters, in appropriate ways, then your team will not be able to answer any questions directed their way by an inspector.

Our top tip is put a budget towards training, make sure the people you employee either have good qualifications (like NEBOSH or IOSH) and give people the opportunity to upskill by going on higher level safety courses. We have lots, you can browse the NEBOSH and IOSH courses by clicking the names of the aforementioned awarding bodies. Records of safety training sessions attended by employees is a MUST (that’s a top tip), maintain good records by evidencing certification documents for employees who have completed specific safety courses.

Engage your employees in the safety process by encouraging them to actively participate in identifying and reporting potential hazards. Regular tool box talks, team huddles, company meetings should cover not only basic safety protocols but also the specific safety measures relevant to your workplace. Informed and vigilant employees are your first line of defence against safety issues. By regularly conducting short training sessions internally to educate employees about potential hazards, emergency response protocols, and the importance of adhering to safety guidelines will pay off. A knowledgeable and engaged workforce is crucial for a great safety culture. If you have a safety committee then don’t forget to keep evidence of ongoing safety awareness programs (another top tip!).

Safety culture as part of a Health and Safety Executive inspection

Let’s be clear, if you have a poor safety culture within your business an inspector will spot that instantly. If you can’t find documentation, if your people aren’t in the right PPE, if your team are not aware of the risks associated with their job it will be visible and you won’t be able to hide it. A Health and Safety Executive inspection will pick that up very quickly and it will be noted.

If you prioritise your safety culture as a good way of doing business (it’s proven that health and safety affects your bottom line / profitability) and you truly put the welfare and wellbeing of your employees as a top priority a HSE inspector will see that too!

Our top tip is to make sure you are putting emphasis on fostering a culture of safety within your organisation. This involves instilling a mindset where every employee takes responsibility for their safety and the safety of their colleagues. Regular safety training, open communication channels, and a visible commitment to safety from leadership are crucial components of building a robust safety culture. Whether you have a HSE inspection or not!

Consultancy support

If you are using consultants, like OMS, for your health and safety support they will be able to provide all of the above on an ongoing basis and certainly for a HSE inspection. Don’t be afraid to ask them to be there on the day, consultants (well certainly here at OMS) will know everything to do with your H&S and as a fount of all knowledge can showcase all the great work you are likely to be doing on a daily basis. A Health and Safety Executive inspection will need to include your consultants so be sure to let them know when your notice is served so they can be onsite to talk to the inspector.

If you have had an accident that has triggered an inspection then using external consultants as an accident investigator could be highly beneficial alongside your own people having conducted the process for accident investigations.

Our final top tip is to remember that the HSE are there to keep people safe, and everyone who goes to work each day deserves to come back home the same way as they left; alive and well.