HSE enforcement notices are improvement and prohibition notices served by HSE inspectors under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 when they identify a breach of health and safety law or a risk of serious personal injury, and failing to comply with one is a criminal offence. They remain one of the most serious regulatory tools available to health and safety inspectors, and the consequences of ignoring them have never been clearer. In 2026 alone, companies across the UK have been fined tens of thousands of pounds and directors disqualified for failing to comply with improvement and prohibition notices. For businesses in Wymondham, Norwich, Attleborough, Thetford and Dereham, understanding how these notices work – and what happens when you don’t act – is not optional.

Last reviewed: 05 October 2026. Figures and rules can change – always confirm on the official links.

What Are HSE Enforcement Notices?

The HSE issues enforcement notices under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 when an inspector identifies a legal breach or an imminent risk. There are three types:

Improvement Notice (Section 21): Served where there is, or has been, a contravention of health and safety law. You are given a minimum of 21 days to remedy the breach. The notice is suspended if you lodge an appeal.

Prohibition Notice – Immediate (Section 22): Takes effect immediately where activities involve a risk of serious personal injury. Work must stop at once. There is no automatic suspension on appeal.

Prohibition Notice – Deferred (Section 22): Comes into force at a specified time where there is a risk of serious personal injury, giving you a defined window to act.

All enforcement notices are published on the HSE’s public register 5 weeks after they are served and stay on the register for 5 years. Your customers, competitors and insurers can see them.

What Happens If You Fail to Comply?

Failing to comply with an Improvement Notice is an offence under Section 33(1)(g) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. Sanctions include fines, imprisonment and disqualification. Courts can disqualify individuals convicted of offences in connection with company management, including health and safety offences, under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986. Gross negligence manslaughter is punishable by an unlimited fine and a maximum of life imprisonment.

The HSE follows up every improvement notice. Follow-up visits should take place as soon after the expiry date as possible, always within 10 working days. If you have not complied, the inspector will recommend prosecution.

2026 Prosecutions: What the Courts Are Imposing

The penalties for ignoring enforcement notices are not theoretical. Here is what has happened in 2026:

• January 2026: a London construction company fined £7,200 for failing to comply with Prohibition Notices; its director was fined £10,800.
• January 2026: a Bedfordshire engineering firm pleaded guilty to breaching Section 21 HSWA (failing to comply with two Improvement Notices); fined £27,200 plus £30,000 costs.
• June 2026: a container company found guilty of failing to comply with two Improvement Notices; fined £30,000 plus £4,571 costs.
• August 2026: a Cornwall sawmill company fined £20,000 for contravening three Improvement Notices; its Managing Director was fined £5,000 and disqualified from acting as a company director for five years.

Courts follow Sentencing Council guidelines for health and safety offences. Fines range from £50 to £10 million depending on organisation size, culpability and harm category. Director disqualification is increasingly common where there has been persistent or wilful non-compliance.

The HSE Is Expanding Enforcement

In July 2026, the HSE issued its first ever Prohibition Notice against an occupational health service provider, demonstrating that no sector is exempt. The HSE also launched a 1,000+ inspection programme for the engineered stone industry in May and June 2026, running through the 2026/27 period.

Falls from height accounted for around a quarter of all worker deaths in Great Britain during 2025/26. The waste and recycling industry saw six workers killed during 2025/26 – fatalities are ten times more likely compared to the all-industry average over a five-year period. The HSE is prioritising high-risk sectors, and enforcement notices are the first step in a process that can end in unlimited fines and custodial sentences.

What You Must Do

If you receive an enforcement notice:

• Do not ignore it. Non-compliance is a criminal offence with penalties including fines, imprisonment and director disqualification.
• Act immediately if it is a prohibition notice. Work must stop until the risk is removed.
• Appoint competent support. You need a health and safety consultancy to help you understand what has gone wrong and how to fix it.
• Document everything. The HSE will return within 10 working days of the compliance deadline.
• Review your systems. If you received one notice, there are likely other gaps in your arrangements.

If you have not received a notice, do not wait. Would your risk assessments, COSHH assessments, fire safety arrangements and training records survive an HSE inspection today?

How Milne Safety Can Help

Milne Safety has been supporting businesses across Norfolk since 1978. We are based at our own training centre in Wymondham and deliver health and safety consultancy, risk assessment training and health surveillance services across Wymondham, Norwich, Attleborough, Thetford and Dereham. Our senior team holds CMIOSH and MIIRSM qualifications, and we deliver training on your site or at our Wymondham facility.

If you have received an enforcement notice, or if you want to ensure your systems are robust before the HSE visits, contact our team in Wymondham on 01953 607093. We will review your arrangements, identify gaps and help you put in place the policies, assessments and training your business needs.

Do not wait for the inspector to arrive. The cost of getting it right is a fraction of the cost of getting it wrong.