Construction Compliance Checklist: Everything You Need Before HSE Visits

An HSE inspector can arrive at your construction site at any time without prior notice. They have the legal power to stop work, issue improvement notices, issue prohibition notices, and prosecute. The average fine for construction health and safety offences in 2025 was over 100,000 pounds. This checklist covers everything you need to have in order before that knock on the site gate.

What HSE Inspectors Look For

HSE inspectors focus on outcomes, not just paperwork. They want to see that your risk assessments and method statements are actually being followed on site, not just filed in the office. That said, they will also check your documentation -- because proper documentation is evidence that you have a functioning safety management system.

Inspections typically follow this pattern:

1. Site walk: The inspector walks the site observing conditions, speaking to workers, and noting any obvious hazards or non-compliance
2. Documentation review: Checking RAMS, COSHH assessments, inspection records, training records, and permits to work
3. Worker interviews: Asking operatives about their training, awareness of risks, and understanding of emergency procedures
4. Specific focus areas: Depending on current HSE priorities and the type of work on site, they may focus on particular hazards (e.g. silica dust, work at height, or asbestos)

Documentation Checklist

Have the following documents on site, current, and readily accessible:

Core Documents

• Construction Phase Plan (CPP) -- required under CDM 2015 for all projects with more than one contractor. Must be project-specific, not a generic template
• Health and Safety Policy -- required for businesses with 5 or more employees. Must include a statement of intent, organisation details, and arrangements
• Risk Assessments and Method Statements (RAMS) -- for every significant work activity on site. Must be task-specific and current
• COSHH Assessments -- for every hazardous substance used on site. Safety data sheets must be available for each product
• Fire Safety Plan -- including fire risk assessment, emergency evacuation plan, and fire point locations
• Employers Liability Insurance certificate -- must be displayed or readily available. Check the expiry date

Inspection and Examination Records

• Scaffold inspection records -- inspection reports at required intervals (before first use, every 7 days, after alteration, after weather events). Scafftag or equivalent system
• Excavation inspection records -- before every shift, after any event affecting stability
• LOLER examination reports -- thorough examinations of lifting equipment within required intervals (6 months for accessories, 12 months for machines, 6 months if lifting people)
• Plant inspection records -- pre-use checks for all plant and equipment
• Electrical installation certificates -- for temporary site supplies and distributions
• PAT test records -- for all portable electrical equipment

Permits and Registers

• Hot works permits -- for all welding, cutting, and grinding operations
• Confined space permits -- if any confined space work is taking place
• Asbestos register/refurbishment survey -- for work on existing buildings
• F10 notification -- required for projects lasting more than 30 working days with more than 20 workers at any one time, or exceeding 500 person-days
• Site induction register -- signed records of every person inducted on site
• Accident book (BI 510) -- GDPR-compliant version with detachable pages
• RIDDOR reports -- copies of any reportable incidents reported to HSE

Site Conditions Checklist

Walk your site with the following in mind -- this is what the inspector will be looking at:

Working at Height

• All scaffold complete, tagged, and inspected within 7 days
• Edge protection in place at all edges, openings, and stairwells above 2m
• Ladders secured, at correct angle, and only used for short-duration or light work
• Mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs) operated by trained, authorised personnel
• No materials or tools stored unsecured at height

Excavations

• All excavations over 1.2m properly supported or battered back
• Edge protection around all excavations
• Spoil heaps and materials at least 1m from edges
• Safe access and egress provided (secured ladders)
• Service drawings available and CAT scan records on file

Plant and Equipment

• All operators hold valid CPCS or NPORS cards for the machines they operate
• Pre-use check records completed daily
• Reversing aids (cameras, alarms) working
• Banksmen trained and using correct signals
• Exclusion zones established around operating plant

General Site Safety

• Site hoarding and fencing secure (preventing unauthorised access)
• Pedestrian and vehicle routes segregated where possible
• Adequate lighting in all work areas and access routes
• PPE being worn correctly throughout the site
• Housekeeping standards maintained -- no trailing cables, clear walkways
• Waste management: segregated skips, no burning on site

Welfare Facilities Checklist

The CDM Regulations and the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 require adequate welfare facilities on every construction site. Inspectors check these closely:

• Toilets: Sufficient number for the workforce, clean, supplied with toilet paper, lit, and ventilated. Minimum 1 toilet per 7 workers
• Washing facilities: Hot and cold running water, soap, towels or hand dryers. Must be in the immediate vicinity of toilets and before eating areas
• Drinking water: Clean, fresh drinking water clearly marked as such. Cups or a drinking fountain provided
• Changing and drying rooms: Somewhere to change and dry wet clothing, with secure storage for personal belongings
• Rest area: A heated, sheltered space for breaks with seating, a means of heating food, and a means of boiling water
• First aid: Adequate first aid equipment and a trained first aider or appointed person. First aid box checked and restocked regularly

Training and Competence Checklist

• CSCS cards: All workers should hold a valid CSCS card (or equivalent) appropriate to their role. While not a legal requirement, it is an industry standard and its absence raises questions about competence
• Site-specific induction: Every person on site must have completed a site-specific induction covering the project risks, site rules, and emergency procedures
• Task-specific training: Workers carrying out specific activities (scaffolding, demolition, confined space entry, crane operation) must hold relevant qualifications
• Toolbox talk records: Evidence of regular safety briefings with attendance records
• First aid training: At least one trained first aider per site (for high-risk environments, more may be needed)
• Fire marshal training: Designated fire marshals who know the evacuation plan and fire point locations
• Face-fit test records: For anyone wearing tight-fitting RPE (FFP3 masks), within the last 12 months
• HAVS health surveillance records: If workers use vibrating tools regularly

Common Enforcement Triggers

Based on HSE published data, these are the issues most likely to result in enforcement action:

1. Inadequate edge protection at height -- the single most common prohibition notice trigger
2. Unsupported excavations -- especially trenches deeper than 1.2m without shoring
3. No RAMS or COSHH assessments on site -- even if they exist somewhere in the head office
4. Poor housekeeping creating trip hazards -- trailing cables, cluttered walkways, debris on stairs
5. No welfare facilities or inadequate facilities -- particularly on smaller sites
6. Untrained or unqualified operators -- especially for plant, scaffolding, and lifting operations
7. Silica dust exposure without controls -- dry cutting without water suppression is a near-automatic prohibition notice
8. Fire safety failures -- blocked escape routes, no fire extinguishers, LPG stored incorrectly
9. No construction phase plan -- required on all multi-contractor sites
10. Missing scaffold inspection records -- even if the scaffold is safe, missing paperwork is an improvement notice

What to Do During an HSE Visit

When an HSE inspector arrives:

• Cooperate fully. Obstructing an inspector is a criminal offence
• Accompany them on the site walk. You have the right to be present during the inspection
• Take notes. Record what the inspector says, what they look at, and any concerns raised
• Be honest. If something is wrong, acknowledge it and explain what you are going to do about it. Do not try to hide issues -- inspectors are experienced and will find them
• Ask for clarification. If you do not understand a concern or recommendation, ask. Inspectors would rather explain than return to find the problem unfixed
• Request copies of any notices. If a notice is served, you should receive a written copy. Read it carefully and understand the timescales for compliance

Keeping Compliance Documentation Current

The biggest compliance challenge is not creating documentation -- it is keeping it current. Documents go out of date, conditions change, new hazards emerge, and paperwork gets lost.

Site Manager AI helps you maintain compliance by generating and tracking all your construction documentation digitally. RAMS, COSHH assessments, inspection checklists, toolbox talks, and training records -- all created from your phone, stored securely, and always accessible when the inspector arrives.

Related Reading

• CDM 2015 Compliance Checklist
• Health and Safety Documentation in Construction
• UK Construction Safety Statistics 2026