If your employer is ignoring serious risks, or an accident was covered up, you can raise it with the regulator. Here is what to expect.
What does the HSE do?
The Health and Safety Executive enforces workplace health and safety law in Great Britain. In some workplaces, such as shops, offices, warehouses and hospitality, the local council's environmental health team is the enforcing authority instead. In Northern Ireland, the equivalent body is HSENI. Inspectors can visit and investigate, issue improvement notices requiring problems to be fixed, issue prohibition notices stopping dangerous work, and prosecute.
How do I report a concern?
Through the HSE's online form for workplace concerns, or by phone. Give as much detail as you can: what the risk is, where, how often it happens and who is affected. If you are reporting an accident that should have been reported under RIDDOR but was not, say so.
What happens after a report?
The HSE assesses every concern and prioritises the most serious risks. It may contact the employer, inspect the workplace, investigate or, where a concern falls outside its remit or is low risk, take no further action. It may not tell you the outcome in detail.
Can my employer find out it was me?
The HSE will not tell your employer who made a report without your permission. But it cannot guarantee anonymity if the details make it obvious who raised the concern.
Am I protected from retaliation?
Yes. Raising health and safety concerns is protected. Employees have specific protection against detriment and dismissal for health and safety activities, and reports to the HSE can also be protected whistleblowing disclosures, because the HSE is a prescribed body under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 provisions in the Employment Rights Act 1996. See can I be sacked for claiming?.
Does an HSE investigation help my claim?
It can. Enforcement notices are public, and evidence gathered by the HSE can be requested in civil proceedings. If the employer is convicted, the conviction can be used as evidence in your claim. But the HSE does not get you compensation: that requires a separate civil claim, with its own three-year time limit. Do not wait for the HSE to finish before getting advice.
See also RIDDOR reporting and my employer did not record my accident.
Sources
Browse every plain-English guide in the work accident guides hub, or read the main guide to how a claim works.
This guide is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Every claim turns on its own facts. For advice about your specific situation, speak to a regulated solicitor.