On the Radar: Local Authority Enforcement Priorities (2026–2029)

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has officially issued its updated enforcement strategy for Local Authorities (LAs), setting out the priority areas for the next three work years, from 2026/27 through to 2028/29.

If your business is regulated by your local council rather than the HSE, which includes retail, wholesale, hospitality, catering, warehousing, distribution, and leisure entertainment, then local inspectors and environmental health officers (EHOs) will be working to this new strategy.

Here is what you need to know to stay ahead of it.

Health Takes Centre Stage

The biggest change in the new LAC 67/2 guidance is an explicit shift towards health topics. While traditional safety hazards (like slips and trips) remain important, LAs are being directed to prioritise long-term health risks when deciding where to spend their inspection resources.

The Big Enforcement Targets

The strategy highlights several core areas where inspectors and EHOs will focus their attention, often using a phased approach ("Identify, Promote, Assess") to raise awareness before issuing enforcement action.

• Work-Related Stress & Mental Health: This remains a massive national priority. Inspectors want to see preventive risk management rather than just reactive support for employees who are already struggling. LAs are also cracking down on workplace violence and aggression, specifically targeting high-risk public-facing roles like retail and sales.
• Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs): Over half a million workers suffer from MSDs annually. LAs are in the identify phase. They are focused heavily on high-risk sectors involving manual handling of heavy items or repetitive upper limb movements, such as warehousing and high-volume retail.
• Occupational Lung Disease: There is a renewed focus on the legal "Duty to Manage" asbestos in buildings constructed or refurbished between 1950 and 2000. Inspectors are also targeting the control of hazardous dusty ingredients (like flour dust) in commercial and supermarket bakeries.
• Noise in the Workplace: If you operate an entertainment venue, bar, or club where loud music is played, be prepared. A phased campaign is underway targeting the mandatory use of hearing protection and clear health surveillance protocols for staff.
• Planned Preventive Maintenance (PPM): Failing to maintain work equipment properly is a quick way to trigger a material breach. Inspectors will look for robust PPM strategies and up-to-date maintenance logs under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) and Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER).

Critical Update for Logistics & Warehousing

While the core national focus is on health, the strategy flags two traditional safety hazards as top triggers for proactive inspections (if you operate in high-volume warehousing and distribution):

• Workplace Transport: Inspectors are authorised to conduct proactive visits to target poorly managed workplace transport, which frequently leads to crushing fatalities and serious injury.
• Working at Height: Poorly managed work at height remains a primary target for proactive intervention due to the high risk of serious injuries caused by falls

A Note on Complaints and RIDDOR Reports

While proactive inspections target specific sectors, LAs have more latitude when deciding which complaints, or accidents to investigate. If a complaint or RIDDOR report involves a national priority hazard, like asbestos or manual handling, the Local Authority is far more likely to investigate, even if your business falls into an otherwise "out-of-scope" sector.

How to Prepare: Your Pre-Inspection Checklist

LAs are using proactive inspections for higher-risk sectors, which means they can show up by appointment or unannounced if local intelligence suggests standards are slipping. To make sure an inspection goes smoothly, check that your business has reviewed the following:

1. The Paperwork Check

Make sure your essential safety documentation is organised, accessible, and up to date. For premises built before 2000, this means having your Asbestos Survey, Asbestos Register, and Asbestos Management Plan ready on demand.

2. Up-to-Date Risk Assessments

Check that your risk assessments cover the newly prioritised health hazards. Do you have a written risk assessment for manual handling, workplace noise, or work-related stress if your sector requires it?

3. Clear Equipment Logs

Keep your planned preventive maintenance logs up to date. An inspection regime (like a thorough LOLER examination) is not a substitute for routine maintenance. You need to prove you are actively maintaining equipment in efficient working order.

Know Your Rights as a Business

Under the new strategy, proactive inspections must be justified. Inspectors and EHOs are expected to explain to your management team exactly why your business is being inspected. If you operate in a lower-risk sector and believe you have been unreasonably targeted for a proactive inspection, you have the right to ask why.