When an HSE Inspector calls

What to do and expect when an HSE Inspector visits your workplace.

Normally, if an HSE Inspector would like to visit a School or Department in the University they will make contact with someone (either someone in the School/Department or with the Safety Adviser's Office). But it is worth remembering that HSE Inspectors have powers to inspect workplaces as they see fit and they can appear unannounced. Where expected or unexpected, if an HSE inspector appears at your School/Department and wants to carry out an inspection, you should do the following:

Contact the Safety Adviser's Office if they are not aware of the visit. They will be able to liaise with the inspector on behalf of the University and initiate action as appropriate. If you are not the Departmental Safety Coordinator then they too should be notified of the visit.

Do not attempt to deceive the inspector or prevent him/her having access to various areas (unless of course there are strict health and safety reasons why the area cannot be entered, e.g. asbestos contamination). The inspector is legally entitled to enter any area and can, if required, call on the services of the police to gain entry.

Provide information (both verbal and written) as requested. The inspector is legally entitled to ask for any information they require as part of their investigations, including written documentation.

Make notes as part of the investigation and ensure that any items highlighted by the inspector and noted.

If not present, provide the safety Adviser's Office with a short report of the visit and any actions that need to be completed.

Send a copy of all future correspondence from the inspector to the Safety Adviser's Office.

Further information on what HSE Inspectors can do if they discover contraventions of health and safety law can be found in the HSE document - "What to expect when an Inspector calls" in the Web links section.