The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has issued its first-ever Prohibition Notice against an occupational health service provider, following findings that inadequate health surveillance was putting workers at risk of serious and irreversible harm. This landmark enforcement action, taken on 3rd July 2026, signals a significant shift in the regulator’s focus on preventing ill-health through stringent oversight of occupational health provision. The provider was also subsequently issued an Improvement Notice.
Substandard health surveillance risked serious worker harm
HSE inspectors uncovered that the occupational health service provider was delivering health surveillance through personnel who were inadequately trained, unqualified, and entirely unsupervised. This failure meant that early indicators of serious occupational diseases, such as occupational asthma, dermatitis, and noise-induced hearing loss, were at significant risk of going undetected. Consequently, workers exposed to hazards like wood dust and excessive noise were left without appropriate intervention, unknowingly facing permanent, life-changing health conditions.
The Prohibition Notice was served to immediately halt these activities, as they were deemed to create a direct risk of serious personal injury. This step underscores the HSE’s commitment to ensuring that occupational health services meet the highest standards, protecting employees from preventable workplace illnesses. The regulator views the quality of occupational health provision with extreme seriousness, acting decisively where substandard services jeopardise worker wellbeing.
Further investigations by HSE inspectors revealed that the provider’s health surveillance arrangements were fundamentally unsuitable across multiple areas. Key deficiencies identified included a pronounced lack of competent occupational health oversight, an absence of robust clinical governance, and non-existent quality assurance processes. Furthermore, there were no clear procedures in place for escalating adverse findings or for reviewing workplace control measures, leaving a critical gap in the protective framework for employees.
A spokesperson for the HSE highlighted that this enforcement action, a first of its kind against an occupational health service provider, was not taken lightly. It reflects the regulator’s unwavering determination to intervene where services designed to protect workers are failing to do so effectively. Health surveillance is a legal imperative for many employers, designed specifically to identify occupational diseases at an early stage, enabling timely action to safeguard affected individuals and their colleagues.
When health surveillance is conducted poorly, it not only provides employers with a false sense of security but also leaves workers unknowingly vulnerable to significant health risks. The HSE expects all occupational health providers to demonstrate genuine competence, implement proper clinical governance, and establish clear, actionable processes for responding to their findings. Anything less is considered a profound failure in their duty to protect the workers they serve.
This case serves as a reminder of the importance of ensuring that occupational health services are delivered by appropriately qualified professionals, supported by robust clinical governance. Supporting employers in accessing competent occupational health services remains a cornerstone of the HSE’s strategy to reduce work-related ill health, alongside rigorously ensuring that legally required health surveillance is carried out with utmost effectiveness and integrity. Employers are urged to thoroughly satisfy themselves that their appointed occupational health providers are fully capable of delivering services that comply with legal requirements and genuinely protect workers from preventable occupational diseases.
This story was originally published by HSE Media Centre.
