The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has announced that its hourly recovery rate under Fee for Intervention in 2024–2025 has increased from £166 to £174. This is effective from 1 April 2024.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published a bulletin announcing an upcoming review to explore opportunities to reform its chemicals regulations. HSE will explore the option of using powers within the Retained EU Law to reform regulations such as CLP (classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures), BPR (biocidal products regulations) and PIC (prior informed consent for the export and import of certain hazardous chemicals), which were direct-acting European Union (EU) legislation retained by Great Britain after Brexit. The review is looking to reform these regulations to make them more proportionate for the country outside of the EU, optimising policies that benefit the British chemicals industry and reducing the regulatory burden of both duty holders along with HSE’s own regulatory obligations. This review will continue throughout 2024.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has approved the trial that allows drones to spray plants and weeds growing along railway infrastructure in the UK after an international conference organised by the HSE which took place in York between 23 and 24 May 2023. This trial will allow drones to spray chemical herbicides on railway bridges, tunnel portals and viaducts but may be used in other industries including agriculture. The trial involves drones developed by Railscape Ltd with the intention of reducing risk of injury to workers that would have otherwise sprayed pesticides manually along railways. HSE's chief scientific adviser, Professor Andrew Curran, shared that while the HSE will need to 'consider both the environmental implications and potential consequences for human health', this new technology could have 'a positive impact on safety and the environment.'

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has announced that it will be bringing prosecutions against Cambridgeshire County Council over three deaths in separate incidents and life-changing injuries sustained by a fourth person in a collision, all of which took place on Cambridgeshire Guided Busway. Cambridgeshire County Council will face a charge under section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Working Minds campaign has encouraged British business owners, managers and employers to follow five steps to prevent and reduce stress in their workplace this stress awareness month. These five steps are: to reach out and have conversations with employees, recognise the signs and causes of stress, respond to risks identified, reflect on actions agreed and taken, and make it routine. All employers are required to prevent work related stress to support employee wellbeing in the workplace by law.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has charged Snowdome Limited with a health and safety breach, following an incident at the Tamworth Snowdome on 24 September 2021 which resulted in the death of 12 year old, Louis Watkiss. The company faces allegations of violating Section 3 of Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The case is scheduled for its initial hearing at Telford magistrates’ court on 9 October 2024.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), in its role as the UK REACH agency, has launched a consultation on restricting the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in firefighting foams. The consultation is accompanied by an Annex 15 restriction report, which sets out the HSE's scientific analysis and evidence base for potential restrictions in Great Britain. Following stakeholder feedback, HSE will submit its opinions to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the devolved governments, who will decide whether to introduce a legal restriction. The consultation builds on the HSE's 2023 analysis, which identified firefighting foams as a priority area for PFAS regulation due to their environmental impact. The consultation closes on 18 February 2026.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has issued guidance on preventing workplace transport deaths following recent prosecutions resulting in fines reaching £2.5m. Vehicle strikes account for 16% of all fatal work-related injuries, claiming an average of 21 lives annually over the past five years. Recent cases include Biffa fined almost £2.5m after a worker was crushed by a skip wagon. The HSE emphasises that deaths from reversing vehicles follow predictable patterns and can be prevented through proper site design, vehicle maintenance and worker training.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has conducted a targeted inspection campaign to assess the adequacy of hearing protection in high-noise workplaces. The investigation revealed a widespread of shortcomings in the provision, use, and management of hearing protection equipment. One in four workplaces had noise levels requiring mandatory protection, yet over 75% of employees lacked basic knowledge on equipment care, and 63% had not been informed of the need for continuous use during exposure. Training was notably insufficient, with 80% of workers receiving no guidance on correct usage, and 95% of employers failing to ensure that hearing protection did not impair the detection of critical warning signals. In response, the HSE is promoting the CUFF system (Condition, Use, Fit the ear, and Fit for purpose) as a practical framework to help employers evaluate and improve hearing protection measures, supported by guidance delivered through industry events and webinars.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is sending 12 inspectors to Manchester city centre to conduct unannounced visits to construction sites and businesses, focusing on the management of health risks such as asbestos, musculoskeletal disorders, noise, dust, and health surveillance. These inspections are part of a nationwide programme of approximately 14,000 visits this financial year, around 8,000 of which target health. HSE principal inspector, Kevin Jones emphasised that the visits aim to ensure appropriate safety measures are in place, noting the high hazards inherent in construction work and previous findings of widespread deficiencies, including poor maintenance of hearing protection and asbestos awareness. The inspections also aim to engage employers and site managers in improving practices, reassuring workers and the public that health and safety is prioritised, with further guidance available on the HSE website.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published a report that it has issued the Ministry of Defence (MOD) with a Crown censure following an investigation into the death of a soldier in Yorkshire on 29 January 2019, who at the time of his death had been taking part in Jackal driver training with five other army reservists. Through its investigation, HSE found out that the training course involved hazardous activities, that the training programme progressed too quicky, and did not give trainees enough time to acquire the necessary expertise and skills, that the risk assessments were not sufficient and that the standing orders and directions had not been properly followed

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has issued Ministry of Defence (MoD) with a Crown Censure. The Crown Censure has been issued following the death of a solider during a training exercise at the Heely Dod firing range in Northumberland in August 2016. A HSE investigation found that the MoD failed to implement a safe system of work with poor planning and conducting of the exercise and low staff confidence. The MoD has accepted the Crown Censure, admitting that it breached its duty under section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and regulation 5 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, SI 1999/3242.