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HSE site inspection: the records inspectors ask for

When an inspector turns up, the first thing they ask for is paperwork. Here is what they commonly ask for, what goes wrong, and how to be ready.

Written for UK contractors · Updated October 2026

What an HSE inspector can do

HSE inspectors can enter a site without notice, talk to your workers, take photographs and samples, and require you to produce documents. If they find a problem, they can give advice, issue an improvement notice, issue a prohibition notice that stops the work, or in serious cases prosecute. Where there is a material breach of health and safety law, HSE can also recover its costs from you under its Fee for Intervention scheme.

A visit does not mean something is wrong. HSE runs targeted inspection campaigns in construction, and inspectors also visit after accidents and complaints. Whatever the reason, what you can show matters as much as what they see on site.

The records inspectors commonly ask for

Every visit is different, but these come up often. If you can lay your hands on them within minutes, the visit goes better.

• The construction phase plan. Required for every construction project under CDM 2015, with a level of detail that matches the risks.
• Risk assessments and method statements. For the work being done, signed by the people doing it.
• Site inductions. Who was inducted, when, by whom, and on what.
• Training and competence. CSCS and other cards, and tickets for the specific work, such as plant or work at height.
• Who is on site. A sign-in record and a fire roll call so you know who is there right now.
• Inspection records. Scaffolds, excavations, lifting equipment and other items with statutory inspection requirements.
• Plant and equipment checks. Daily and pre-use checks, and certificates for lifting equipment.
• Hazardous substances. COSHH assessments for products used on site, and records of dust and noise controls where relevant.
• Toolbox talks. What was covered, on what date and who attended.
• Accident and near-miss records. Including any reports under RIDDOR and what was done afterwards.
• The site diary. A dated record showing what happened, who was there and what was done about problems.

What goes wrong in practice

• The records are in a van, an office or someone's head. Records you cannot find during a visit may as well not exist.
• Gaps. A scaffold with no inspection record for three weeks is a finding in itself.
• Out-of-date items. Expired cards, old versions of RAMS and induction sheets that predate a change in the site rules.
• Records created after the event. Backfilling is obvious and damaging.
• No evidence of what was briefed. The RAMS exist, but nobody can show the gang read them.

How to prepare

1. Decide where each record lives and make sure everyone on the management team knows.
2. Do a mock visit. Ask someone to request each item on the list above and time how long it takes to produce.
3. Check dates. Look for expiry dates on cards and certificates, and for inspection intervals that have lapsed.
4. Make sure the site matches the paperwork, and the paperwork matches the site.
5. Decide who deals with the inspector, and what you do if you do not have something to hand. Be honest and offer to send it, rather than guessing.

The free 3-minute assessment asks about the diary, site register and induction records and shows where you would struggle to produce them.

This guide is general information for contractors, not legal advice. What an inspector asks for depends on the site and the work. Check HSE guidance or take advice from a health and safety consultant.