Investigations and prosecutions

Health and safety failings can have serious consequences. Proper concern for the welfare of your and the safety of your customers is vitally important. Find out what can happen if you fail to comply with your health and safety obligations, when and how the or your local fire and rescue authority will inspect or investigate your business, what happens if you are prosecuted for health and safety and who might sue you if they are injured because of your business activities.

Consequences of health and safety failures

  1. 1.What can happen if I break health and safety laws?
  2. 2.What can happen if I break fire safety laws?

HSE inspections and investigations

  1. 3.What is an HSE inspection?
  2. 4.What makes the HSE decide to inspect a business?
  3. 5.What is an HSE investigation?
  4. 6.What types of accidents or incidents does HSE investigate?
  5. 7.Can HSE inspectors turn up unexpectedly?
  6. 8.Can I refuse to let HSE inspectors onto my business premises?
  7. 9.Can HSE inspectors go into home workers' homes?
  8. 10.Can HSE inspectors close down my workplace while they investigate?
  9. 11.Can HSE inspectors insist on interviewing my employees?
  10. 12.What are HSE inspectors allowed to do during an inspection or investigation?
  11. 13.What should I do if the HSE is investigating my workplace?
  12. 14.What is an interview under caution and do I have to attend?
  13. 15.Do I have to give the HSE the results of internal investigations or internal safety reports?

Consequences of HSE investigations

  1. 16.What can the HSE do if it finds a breach of health and safety law?
  2. 17.What is a notice of contravention (NoC)?
  3. 18.What is a fee for intervention (FFI)?
  4. 19.How much is a fee for intervention (FFI)?
  5. 20.What should I do if I disagree with an invoice for a fee for intervention (FFI)?
  6. 21.What is an improvement notice?
  7. 22.What should I do if I receive an improvement notice?
  8. 23.How can I appeal an improvement notice?
  9. 24.Are improvement notices made public?
  10. 25.What is a prohibition notice issued by the HSE?
  11. 26.What should I do if I receive a prohibition notice from the HSE?
  12. 27.How can I appeal a prohibition notice from the HSE?
  13. 28.Are prohibition notices from the HSE made public?
  14. 29.What is a simple caution?

Being prosecuted for a health and safety breach

  1. 30.When does the HSE decide to prosecute?
  2. 31.What should I do if I am being prosecuted by the HSE?
  3. 32.What are the consequences if I am found guilty of a health and safety breach?
  4. 33.What fines can I face for breaches of health and safety law?
  5. 34.Can I be imprisoned if I breach health and safety law?
  6. 35.What is a compensation order?
  7. 36.What is a victim surcharge?
  8. 37.What is a community order?
  9. 38.Can I be banned from being a director for a health and safety offence?
  10. 39.Are HSE prosecutions made public?

Fire safety inspections

  1. 40.Who enforces fire safety laws and carries out inspections?
  2. 41.What makes local fire and rescue authorities decide to inspect a business?
  3. 42.Can fire inspectors turn up unexpectedly?
  4. 43.Can fire inspectors go into home workers' homes?
  5. 44.What are fire inspectors allowed to do during an inspection?
  6. 45.Can I refuse to let a fire inspector into my premises?
  7. 46.Do I have to give fire inspectors my internal records or reports?
  8. 47.Can fire inspectors interview my employees?

Consequences of breaking fire safety laws

  1. 48.What can fire inspectors do if they find a breach of fire safety laws?
  2. 49.What is an alterations notice?
  3. 50.Why might I be sent an alterations notice?
  4. 51.Does an alterations notice mean I have broken the law?
  5. 52.What can an alterations notice require me to do?
  6. 53.What if I ignore an alterations notice?
  7. 54.Can I appeal an alterations notice?
  8. 55.Are alterations notices made public?
  9. 56.What is a fire safety enforcement notice?
  10. 57.What if I cannot agree on how to fix the problems in an enforcement notice?
  11. 58.What if I ignore an enforcement notice?
  12. 59.Can I appeal an enforcement notice?
  13. 60.Are enforcement notices made public?
  14. 61.What is a fire safety prohibition notice?
  15. 62.Do I have to leave my premises immediately if I get a fire safety prohibition notice?
  16. 63.What if I ignore a fire safety prohibition notice?
  17. 64.Can I appeal a fire safety prohibition notice?
  18. 65.Are prohibition notices made public?

Being prosecuted for a fire safety breach

  1. 66.What should I do if I am being prosecuted for a fire safety breach?
  2. 67.What are the penalties if I am found guilty of a fire safety breach at court?

Accident and injury compensation

  1. 68.Do I have to pay compensation to employees who get injured or sick at work?
  2. 69.Can I be sued if my employees injure someone?
  3. 70.Can I be sued if a customer or visitor to my premises is injured?
  4. 71.What should I do if someone makes a personal injury claim against my business?

Fire safety risk assessment

This fire safety risk assessment forms a vital part of your health and safety compliance if you have any kind of business premises. It is important to take fire safety seriously and carry out regular risk assessments at your business premises focusing on it. This fire safety risk assessment template makes compliance easy. It covers the most common fire safety hazards that you might find in your business premises. It includes suggested actions that you can take to help reduce the risks that those hazards pose or even remove them altogether. Every workplace is different, so this fire safety risk assessment also contains space for you to fill in any fire hazards specific to your type of business premises or systems of work.
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