It was my first week on the contract.

I was sitting at my desk, sipping my first coffee of the day, mentally preparing for a site inspection I had scheduled for the afternoon.

Then the phone rang.

It was the site manager — panicked and breathless.

"An HSE Inspector is here!! They’re asking to do a full site walkaround. Now!!."

I calmly grabbed my notepad, put on my 5 points of PPE mandatory for the site, and headed to reception. The inspector was a little stern at first, but after a brief chat over coffee, he loosened up.

We planned the walkaround and headed onto site with the Site Manager and the shift team leader in tow. As expected, the inspector flagged several gaps — including missing risk assessments, weak procedures and incomplete process documentation.

Earlier in my career, that would have sent me into a blind panic. But not this time.

I already knew the issues. I had started reviewing the site’s health and safety documentation a week earlier and had outlined the gaps in my action plan. So when the inspector asked to see the paperwork, I calmly walked him through the plan — showing him exactly how we were addressing the gaps, who was responsible for each action, and the timeframe for resolution.

The inspector could see we were taking things seriously. We avoided a formal contravention notice and those dreaded £174 per hour Fee for Intervention charges. Three weeks later, when he returned, the priority issues had been resolved — and we passed with no further action. Phew!!

That day reinforced a critical lesson: Preparation is everything!

Now imagine this: You’re sitting in your office, sipping your morning coffee, when the phone rings...

"An HSE Inspector is here — They want to look at our health and safety arrangements."

Would you be ready?

That’s why we’ve created a Health and Safety Checklist for Schools — a comprehensive checklist designed specifically to help headteachers and school business managers get, and most importantly stay, inspection-ready.

Are you ready to:

✅ Identify gaps in your health and safety compliance before the inspector arrives?

✅ Have a clear action plan in place that outlines priority actions, assigns responsibility, and sets accurate timeframes for completion?

✅ Avoid uncomfortable conversations and the risk of receiving a notice of contravention for non-compliance?

✅ Side step a costly Fee for Intervention invoice from the Health & Safety Executive?

The HSE’s hourly recovery rate under Fee for Intervention has risen to £174 for 2024/25. Every hour an inspector spends investigating and fixing health and safety breaches at your school is money straight out of your budget.

👉 Don’t wait for the panic call — download your FREE Health and Safety Checklist for Schools today and stay one step ahead.