• Cooperate fully and politely with any HSE inspector visiting your site.
• Notify your site manager immediately when an HSE inspector arrives on site.
• Provide access to all areas, documents, and records the inspector requests.
• Answer questions honestly — providing false information is a criminal offence.
• Maintain high safety standards daily so inspections do not find avoidable breaches.
• Keep risk assessments, permits, training records, and inspection logs current and accessible.
• Accompany the inspector during their visit and take notes of all discussions.
• Act on any verbal advice given by the inspector before a formal notice follows.
• Brief your team on any findings or required actions after the visit concludes.
• Use the visit as a learning opportunity to improve your safety management system.

• DON'T refuse entry, obstruct, or delay an HSE inspector from accessing the site.
• DON'T attempt to hide, move, or destroy evidence before or during an inspection.
• DON'T provide misleading or false statements to the inspector under any circumstances.
• DON'T argue with the inspector on site — use the formal appeal process instead.
• DON'T panic — maintain composure and demonstrate your safety management systems calmly.
• DON'T coach workers on what to say — inspectors will identify rehearsed responses.
• DON'T assume a friendly visit means no enforcement action will follow afterwards.
• DON'T ignore FFI invoices — they are legally enforceable debts owed to the HSE.
• DON'T wait for an inspection to fix known problems — address hazards proactively today.
• DON'T discuss the visit with external parties without management and legal approval.

See also: Improvement and Prohibition Notices | CDM 2015 Awareness