No business wants to receive an improvement notice or prohibition notice from The Health and Safety Executive or Local Authority. Unfortunately, failure to comply with health and safety laws could leave you with just that. If you ever receive one of these notices, it is essential that you comply with the requirements of the notice and understand what you’re being asked to do. Failure to do so could end with you receiving a large fine in court.
Improvement notices are usually issued by the HSE or LA if they believe you are breaking health and safety law in a relatively serious way, or in a way that poses a risk to people. If you receive a prohibition notice, you are usually required to stop te specified activity immediately. These are issued if inspectors find your workplace to be operating in a way that gives rise to a risk of serious personal injury. While receiving either of these notices can be scary and an inconvenience, they have been issued for yours and your employees safety. By complying with the requirements of the notice, and asking for clarification on areas in which you are unsure, you can rectify the relevant issues as quickly as possible. It is important that any non-compliance will be noted by the HSE and could lead to prosecution.
Walker Health and Safety Services outline some tips to ensure compliance with Improvement and Prohibition Notices. These tips include reading the schedule attached to the notice as this will give you clear guidance on what to do next, and contacting the inspector who issued the notice if you are unsure on any matters or face difficulties complying with its requirements. To avoid any future legal complications, it is also important to check that the notice has been served on the correct legal entity e.g if you’re in a partnership or limited company. You can read all of the tips from Walker Health and Safety services here.