Last reviewed: 21 September 2026. Figures and rules can change – always confirm on the official links.

HSE enforcement notices are published on the public register 5 weeks after they are served, and they remain visible for 5 years. Non-compliance with these notices has led to fines exceeding £20,000 and can result in imprisonment and director disqualification.

For businesses in Wymondham, Norwich, Attleborough, Thetford and Dereham, that public record is not just regulatory history—it is a signal to clients, insurers and competitors that your business failed to meet its legal duties.

Understanding HSE Enforcement Notices

An enforcement notice is HSE’s formal legal tool to compel you to stop an unsafe activity or correct a breach of health and safety law.

There are two types:

• Prohibition Notice: requires you to stop an activity immediately where HSE believes it involves a risk of serious personal injury or ill health. The activity cannot resume until the risk is controlled.
• Improvement Notice: requires specific remedial action to be taken within a set timeframe to address a contravention of health and safety law. You have the deadline stated on the notice to comply.

Both are published on the HSE public register of enforcement notices 5 weeks after they are served. They remain visible there for 5 years.

That is 5 years during which anyone searching your company name can see that HSE found your workplace unsafe.

What Happens If You Ignore an Enforcement Notice?

Failing to comply with an enforcement notice is a criminal offence. The consequences are immediate and severe.

In August 2026, a Cornwall sawmill and its director were fined £20,000 for failing to comply with enforcement notices. In January 2026, VNP Constructions Limited was fined £7,200 and its director fined £10,800 for failing to comply with Prohibition Notices.

Sanctions for non-compliance include:

• Unlimited fines
• Imprisonment
• Director disqualification

Would your business survive a £20,000 fine and the reputational damage that comes with it?

HSE’s Landmark Action Against an Occupational Health Provider

In July 2026, HSE took enforcement action that should concern every business relying on external health surveillance.

HSE issued its first ever Prohibition Notice against an occupational health service provider. The message is clear: HSE will enforce against any part of the health and safety supply chain that puts workers at risk—including those you contract to deliver statutory services such as audiometric testing, lung function testing or face fit testing.

If you outsource health surveillance, you remain legally responsible for ensuring the quality and compliance of that service.

Falls from Height: A Persistent Risk

Falls from height accounted for around a quarter of all worker deaths in Great Britain during 2025/26. This is not a niche risk. It affects construction, maintenance, warehousing, facilities management and agriculture across Norfolk.

If your workers use ladders, mobile towers, scissor lifts or work on flat roofs, you need current risk assessments, safe systems of work and competent supervision. HSE does not accept ‘we’ve always done it this way’ as a defence.

Our working at height training is delivered at our Wymondham training centre or on your site, and it ensures your team understands the hierarchy of control, equipment inspection and rescue planning.

What Employers in Wymondham, Norwich and Across Norfolk Must Do Now

Here is what keeps you out of the enforcement register:

• Conduct and document all statutory risk assessments—general, COSHH, fire, noise, manual handling, DSE and working at height
• Ensure safe systems of work are written, communicated and supervised
• Train employees before they start work involving significant risk
• Maintain and inspect equipment, and keep records
• Review and update risk assessments when processes, substances or equipment change
• Appoint a competent person to advise on health and safety compliance

Our health and safety consultancy service provides you with a named CMIOSH-qualified advisor, site audits, risk assessments and the ongoing support that stops small gaps becoming enforcement notices.

How Long Do Enforcement Notices Stay Visible?

Enforcement notices remain on the HSE public register for 5 years from the date they are served. During that time, they are visible to:

• Prospective clients conducting due diligence
• Insurers assessing your risk profile and premium
• Principal contractors vetting subcontractors for PQQs
• Local authority licensing and planning officers
• Journalists and campaign groups

HSE is currently working on technical updates to improve the public register of enforcement notices. That means greater visibility, not less.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I appeal an HSE enforcement notice?

Yes. You can appeal an Improvement Notice or Prohibition Notice to an employment tribunal within 21 days of service. The appeal does not suspend an Improvement Notice, but it does suspend a Prohibition Notice until the tribunal decides.

Will an enforcement notice always lead to prosecution?

No. An enforcement notice is not a prosecution—it is a formal requirement to comply with the law. However, if you fail to comply with the notice, or if the original breach was serious, HSE may prosecute separately. The cases cited above show that non-compliance frequently leads to court.

Do I need a consultant if I receive an enforcement notice?

You are not legally required to use a consultant, but you are legally required to comply with the notice by the deadline given. A competent health and safety advisor can help you understand what HSE expects, implement the required controls and provide the documented evidence that HSE will ask to see. Getting it wrong a second time is expensive.

What should I do if HSE visits my site?

Cooperate fully. Provide the documents HSE asks for—risk assessments, training records, maintenance logs, accident book. Do not guess or provide incomplete information. If you do not have a document, say so. HSE inspectors are experienced; they know when employers are unprepared. If HSE identifies a serious risk, they will issue a notice on the spot. That notice will be public 5 weeks later.

Get Compliant Before HSE Arrives

The businesses fined in 2026 did not fail because the law was unclear. They failed because they did not act.

Milne Safety has been supporting Norfolk employers since 1978. We deliver accredited safety training at our Wymondham training centre and on your site, and our CMIOSH-qualified consultants provide the risk assessments, audits and documented safe systems of work that satisfy HSE inspectors.

If you have received an enforcement notice, or if you are concerned that your risk assessments and training records would not survive an HSE visit, call us on 01953 607093 or email us today. We will tell you what needs to happen and how quickly it can be fixed.

Do not wait for the inspector. Do not wait for the fine. Get compliant now.