A question we get asked a lot as Health and Safety Professionals, whether it be in Agriculture / Farming, Construction, Retail, Hospitality or any industry is:
What will a Health and Safety Executive Inspector want to see?
In short everything and anything! I can only apologise for this, but it is absolutely true!
We can however give ourselves a bit of a head start:
Keep on top of their Key Topics, campaigns and focus areas. This can be done by periodically reviewing or following their social media, and the relevant area of their website for your industry. You can sign up to their Newsletters which keep you updated.
We should be doing this anyway, as chances are those campaign areas will be the high-risk areas for our industry.
For example, the HSE in Agriculture are currently focussing on Moving Vehicles and Livestock Search Results for “farm” | Page 2 | HSE Media Centre in Construction or Building Mental Health is a focus HSE builds construction support to protect workers’ mental health | HSE Media Centre (these are of course correct at the time of writing this but by nature will be updated.
More widely you can use the HSEs ‘News’ page at: HSE Media Centre this can also be very useful as there may be transferrable news stories which may be categorised as one industry but easily happen in yours.
Keep an eye on industry publications too. (Yes, I know that it might not be as exciting as the newest shiniest kit, or the newest wonder product!)
THIS IS NOT CONCLUSIVE or DEFINITIVE! Any other area or topic can of course be reviewed.
For the actual visit itself the HSE also give us a bit of an idea of what to expect in their own publication ‘When a health and safety inspector calls – What to expect when we visit your business’ which can be found at: Publication: What to expect when an inspector calls – HSE
REMEMBER Inspectors have the powers to be there, in fact more so than a Police Officer as they do not need a warrant! They can have a look at anything they want under those powers. If you would like to know a bit more about these rights check out: Obtaining evidence using section 20 powers – Investigation – Enforcement Guide (England & Wales) (hse.gov.uk) but phewee it is a read!
BE NICE! There is no need to be any other. The Inspector is there to do their job, and ultimately keep you and your staff safe and healthy. Perhaps think yourself to how you might react if a customer, supplier etc is unpleasant with you – what is your reaction?
So, in short:
- Be aware – of your industry and its weaknesses or issues.
- Be prepared – make sure all of your relevant documentation, files, handbooks etc are to hand. Nothing shows your hand more than being in a pickle!
- Be aware of your first impressions – what has that Inspector seen and what conclusions have then come to before they even get to your office? Out of date signage, could they find you? A hectic yard and poor parking, if they were nearly run over on the way in – it isn’t the greatest start! Not being able to find anyone, unclear arrangements?
- Be nice – get that kettle on! Being open and honest puts you in good stead. They will still find those breaches regardless of how they have been treated – but nothing to hide, nothing to fear!