HSE inspection readiness checker
HSE inspectors turn up unannounced. Run through the areas they target most — work at height, welfare, dust, asbestos and the rest — and get a printable priority-action list before someone else checks for you.
Free to use — no signup, nothing stored. Your details stay in your browser.
Instant verdict
runs in your browser
Would your site stand up to an unannounced visit?
Answer honestly for the site as it is right now. “Partly” means it's in place but inconsistent or incomplete. Items marked priority are the areas HSE inspectors act on first.
Is every work-at-height task properly protected — edge protection, secured ladders/towers, scaffold inspected within the last 7 days, and no work on or near fragile surfaces without controls?
Are adequate welfare facilities in place and usable — toilets, hot and cold washing water, somewhere to take breaks and dry/change clothing — from the first day on site?
Is construction dust controlled at source — water suppression or on-tool extraction (M-class) for cutting/grinding/chasing — with face-fit-tested RPE where dust still escapes?
Before any refurbishment or demolition of a pre-2000 building, is a refurbishment/demolition asbestos survey in place and have workers had asbestos awareness training?
Is the site secured against unauthorised access and the public protected — hoarding/fencing, controlled entry, and protection from falling materials and site traffic at the perimeter?
Are walkways, stairs and work areas kept clear of trip hazards, trailing leads, off-cuts and waste, with materials stored tidily?
Are vehicles and pedestrians kept apart — defined walkways, controlled reversing, a banksman where needed, and plant operated only by trained, authorised operators?
Are hand-arm vibration and noise exposures managed — trigger times limited, lower-vibration tools chosen, hearing protection in noisy areas, and health surveillance where required?
Are hazardous substances assessed under COSHH, with safety data sheets, the right controls and PPE/RPE in place, and assessments that match what's actually used on site?
Has manual handling been designed out where reasonably practicable — mechanical aids, smaller loads, two-person lifts — rather than relying on workers to 'lift carefully'?
Has everyone on site had a site-specific induction, and can you show competence/training records (and CSCS or equivalent) for the work being done?
Are task-specific risk assessments and method statements on site, briefed to the workers doing the job, and is work actually being done the way the RAMS describes?
Do your RAMS show who prepared them and when, and have they been reviewed to reflect changes to the site, sequence, equipment or workforce?
Are first-aid provision and emergency arrangements in place and known — trained first-aider(s), stocked kit, nearest A&E identified, and an escape/assembly plan briefed at induction?
Are fire risks managed — controlled hot works, ignition sources kept from combustibles, clear escape routes, suitable extinguishers and a means of raising the alarm?
HSE inspectors don't make appointments
HSE inspectors have the legal right to enter a construction site at any reasonable time, without warning. The first you usually know about it is when an inspector is standing at the gate. There's no chance to tidy up first — what they see is the site exactly as it runs on a normal day. That's the whole point of this check: answer it for the site as it is right now, not how it looks on a good day.
The cost angle: Fee for Intervention
If an inspector finds what they judge to be a material breach of health and safety law, the HSE recovers its costs from you under Fee for Intervention (FFI). You are billed by the hour for the inspector's time — investigating, writing to you and following up — at a rate set by HSE (£188 per hour from 1 April 2026). A single notice can run to several hours of chargeable time, and that's before any cost of stopping work to put things right. There's a strong financial reason to be ready, not just a legal one.
What inspectors concentrate on
Construction inspections combine the long-standing physical priorities with a current push on occupational health. In practice that means inspectors look hard at:
- Work at height — edge protection, scaffold and tower inspections, fragile roofs. Falls remain the biggest single cause of construction deaths.
- Welfare facilities — usable toilets, hot washing water, somewhere to take breaks and dry clothing, from day one.
- Dust and RPE — silica and wood dust controlled at source, with face-fit-tested respiratory protection. Occupational lung disease is a headline HSE priority.
- Asbestos — a refurbishment/demolition survey before disturbing pre-2000 buildings, and asbestos awareness training.
- Site organisation and public protection — secured perimeter, housekeeping, and people kept clear of plant and falling materials.
- Plus vibration and noise, COSHH, manual handling, plant and vehicle/pedestrian segregation, competence and induction, RAMS that are site-specific and actually followed, and emergency and first-aid arrangements.
A recurring theme: inspectors check for active, maintained controls and evidence of competence, not just paperwork. A method statement on a clipboard counts for nothing if the work on the ground doesn't match it.
Important
This checker is a preparation prompt to help you find and close gaps before someone else does. It cannot tell you whether you would pass or fail — only an inspector decides that, on the day, based on the site in front of them.
More on inspections and your duties: hse.gov.uk/construction and hse.gov.uk/fee-for-intervention.
RamsDocs helps draft structured RAMS from your job details. It does not replace competent-person review, site-specific judgement or your legal duties.
Need the full RAMS, not just the numbers?
RamsDocs builds a site-specific risk assessment and method statement for your trade, ready for principal-contractor review. Free during early access.
Answer a few questions about the project and see your CDM 2015 duties — and whether it's F10 notifiable.
Run your RAMS against the checks principal contractors actually make before they accept a document.
Check your policies, RAMS, insurance and records against what CHAS-style SSIP assessments ask for.