Corporate

HSE inspections tackling exposure to flour dust in bakeries

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is carrying out a series of inspections at large bakeries across Great Britain from January 2026.

Inspectors will check that employers are properly protecting workers from the dangers of dusty ingredients including flour dust.

Exposure to certain dusty ingredients can lead to occupational asthma, a serious and potentially life-changing condition, with flour dust being one of the most common causes of occupational asthma in Great Britain. Exposure to other dusty ingredients, such as bread improver enzymes, can also cause respiratory sensitisation.

Dust can cause the airways to become hypersensitive. Once a worker becomes sensitised, even small amounts of dust can trigger asthma symptoms, and in many cases the condition is irreversible.

The danger for workers in bakeries is that dust generated from flour and other ingredients can linger in the atmosphere if it is not properly controlled, and many common tasks are high-risk, including dusting flour during dough handling, tipping and dispensing dry ingredients, and cleaning up flour spills.

Employers must follow the hierarchy of controls under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH), and HSE inspectors will assess bakeries’ compliance with COSHH regulations, focusing on whether employers have correctly considered their measures for managing risk in order of effectiveness:

Inspectors will also check that employers have health surveillance in place for workers exposed to dusty ingredients.

Mike Calcutt, Deputy Director in HSE’s Engagement and Policy Division, said: “Too many workers in bakeries are suffering from unnecessary exposure to dusty ingredients including flour. When employers prevent exposure, the risk of asthma is removed. That’s the key principle we want bakeries to apply.

“It may be possible to reduce the risk with ventilation or protective equipment, but these controls should not be selected where elimination and substitution would be effective. I urge employers to carefully consider dusty processes, eliminating risk and substituting to prevent exposure by weighing the long-term benefits in sustaining prevention against the true cost of ill-health and using controls lower in the hierarchy.”

HSE has seen the benefits of correct application of the hierarchy of controls in previous inspections, when a large bakery transformed its approach. The company assessed its use of flour nationally and trialled low-dust flours and dust suppressants, which dramatically reduced dust exposure, reducing the risk to workers. By focusing on eliminating and substituting flour in the first instance, the company was able to implement fewer mechanical controls and reduce the time and cost needed to extract dust from the atmosphere.

HSE has well-established guidance on controlling flour dust in bakeries available at hse.gov.uk.  

Low-dust flour is now an established standard, and the Federation of Bakers’ Blue Book provides industry-specific guidance on dust control and health surveillance.  Employers are encouraged to review these resources and ensure their control measures meet the required standards.

Notes to editors: 

Health and Safety Executive inspecting chiropractors to assess radiation compliance

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is conducting an inspection campaign targeting chiropractors who use radiation generators.

The regulator’s inspections will assess dutyholders’ compliance with the Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 (IRR17), which protect employees and other persons from occupational radiation exposure.

To help dutyholders understand the requirements of an inspection, the HSE has created an online video outlining the expectations of the visit and the areas inspectors will be assessing compliance on, including: 

All employers with staff operating radiation generators must register with HSE through the online RADAN system. 

Duncan Smith, Head of the Health and Safety Executive’s Health Unit, said: “The use of radiology and radiography by chiropractors, means that medical ionising radiation is employed widely across the industry. To ensure the safety of staff and members of the public we will be conducting inspections throughout January until the end of March. 

“Our inspections will examine construction, warning devices, safety features and any mobile shielding used. Employers should prepare relevant records, Radiation Protection Adviser reports, critical examination reports and training certificates for review, while operators may be asked to demonstrate equipment and warning systems. 

“We understand that many dutyholders will not have received a visit from HSE before, so to help explain the process we have created a new video explaining our expectations and the employer’s obligations.” 

HSE’s video on what to expect from an inspection:

Ahead of an inspection HSE inspectors will contact registered employers in advance to arrange a mutually convenient inspection time and to provide documentation ahead of the visit. This ensures the radiation responsible person is present, equipment is available for inspection, and disruption to services is minimised and inspectors have had the chance to review documents before arriving on site. 

Following an inspection, HSE will provide a summary of compliance standards found, any material breaches identified, and whether enforcement action will be taken. Where material breaches of the law are identified, HSE has a range of proportionate enforcement options available, from verbal advice through to prosecution. 

The Approved Code of Practice and guidance for working with ionising radiation is freely available for dutyholders on HSE’s website.

Notes to editors: 

Buncefield 20 years on: Turning lessons into safer industry practices

This week marks 20 years since the Buncefield explosion in Hertfordshire – one of the largest industrial incidents in Europe and the UK’s largest peacetime explosion.

The incident

In the early hours of Sunday 11th December 2005 explosions occurred at Buncefield Oil Storage Depot, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.

In the early hours of 11 December 2005, a storage tank at the Buncefield oil storage depot overfilled, releasing a massive petrol vapour cloud that spread beyond the site perimeter and ignited. The resulting explosions and fires caused widespread damage and disruption, forcing thousands of residents and businesses to evacuate.

Remarkably, no lives were lost. However, the impact on people, property and the environment was profound. More than 2,000 homes and 600 businesses were affected, with damage extending several kilometres beyond the site. The incident left a lasting mark on the local community and fundamentally changed the UK’s approach to managing major hazard risks.

Investigation and accountability

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Environment Agency (EA) jointly led one of the most extensive industrial investigations in UK history. The work involved detailed forensic analysis, engineering assessments and consultation with industry experts to determine how the incident occurred and what could be learned.

The investigation identified systematic failings in tank level monitoring, overfill prevention and safety management systems. Weak oversight and inadequate controls allowed large quantities of petrol to overflow undetected, leading to the release of a vapour cloud that ignited with catastrophic force.

Following the investigation, the operating companies and site owners were successfully prosecuted under the Health and Safety at Work Act. The courts imposed multi-million-pound fines, setting a precedent for accountability in major hazard industries. The case outcomes reinforced the responsibility of operators to maintain robust systems for preventing and mitigating major accidents and the importance of Process Safety Leadership.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Environment Agency (EA) investigated the incident and secured convictions against five companies, who were ordered to pay almost £10m in combined fines and costs.

Learning and reform

In the aftermath of the incident, several major reviews and task groups were established to drive improvements:

Onshore major hazard industries have recently relaunched the Process Safety Leadership Principles Guidance taking the important opportunity this anniversary offers to promote good practice.

These reports provided a foundation for industry-wide reform, promoting stronger leadership, real-time monitoring, improved reliability of electrical and control systems, and closer collaboration between regulators and operators.

Sarah Albon, Chief Executive of the Health and Safety Executive, said:

“Twenty years on from Buncefield, we remember not only the scale of the incident but also the determination shown by everyone involved to learn from what happened and drive lasting change.

“The comprehensive investigations, reforms to safety standards, and strengthened collaboration between regulators and industry have created a legacy that continues to protect people and places today. Buncefield demonstrated that when we face serious challenges head-on with transparency and commitment to improvement, we can fundamentally change how major hazards are managed.

“As HSE, we remain committed to applying these lessons, working closely with industry and our regulatory partners to ensure the highest standards of safety and environmental protection across all major hazard sites in Great Britain.”

Legacy and ongoing impact

Two decades on, Buncefield remains a defining moment in UK major hazards safety regulation. The incident exposed critical weaknesses in risk management and highlighted the importance of learning, transparency and continuous improvement in the robust oversight of major hazard sites.

Since then, HSE and the EA have worked with industry and international partners to strengthen safety standards, enhance risk management and ensure consistent enforcement where failings occur.

The lessons of Buncefield continue to shape not only how onshore major hazard industry operates, but how HSE itself develops as a regulator. Investing in people, building capability and fostering a culture of learning remain central to HSE’s mission.

Ken Rivers, Board Member for Health and Safety Executive said:

“Buncefield has led to profound changes not just in the operational, technical and regulatory aspects of managing major hazards but also in leadership, and the way industry and regulator work together in the UK.

“It led industry to becoming more self-disciplined, taking ownership, and it led to a more mature and collaborative relationship with the regulator.

“The impact of Buncefield remains with us today continuing to stimulate industry and regulator to work together to protect people and places.”

The Buncefield anniversary is an important reminder that vigilance, leadership, continuous learning and robust regulation are essential to protecting people, communities and the environment.

Notes to editors:

A matter of life and death: why businesses must check their bins

Every winter, as temperatures drop, some of Britain’s most vulnerable citizens seek shelter wherever they can find it. For rough sleepers, a large commercial waste bin might seem like temporary refuge from the cold. But this desperate act of survival can quickly become a death trap.

In May 2024, Vitalij Maceljuch, 36, climbed into a cardboard recycling bin behind a kitchen store in Chester seeking shelter. Hours later, the bin was collected and tipped into a waste lorry. Despite the driver following proper checking procedures (looking into the bin, calling out, and shaking it on the lorry’s forks), Mr Maceljuch was not discovered until his body was found on a conveyor belt at a recycling depot in Flintshire. The coroner concluded he died from severe head and neck injuries, likely caused by being crushed.

This tragedy serves as a stark reminder that this is not a theoretical risk. It is a real and present danger that demands continued vigilance from businesses and waste collection services alike.

This video from the Environmental Services Association gives waste operatives an overview of how to check if someone may be sleeping inside or around a waste container and what to do if you do find someone:

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published comprehensive guidance on preventing people getting into large waste and recycling bins, developed in partnership with the Waste Industry Safety and Health (WISH) Forum. This guidance sets out simple, practical measures that can save lives.

Tim Small, HM Principal Inspector of Health and Safety for Waste and Recycling, said: “No one should die because they sought shelter from the cold. Businesses and waste collectors have a clear responsibility to implement simple checks that can prevent these entirely avoidable tragedies.”

The solution lies in two fundamental approaches: preventing access to bins in the first place and checking bins before they are emptied. Neither of these measures requires significant investment or complex procedures. What they require is vigilance, particularly during the colder months when rough sleepers are most likely to seek shelter.

Businesses managing bin storage areas should review their waste-storage arrangements. These are the risk factors that increase the likelihood of tragedy:

The Waste Industry Safety and Health Forum’s guidance makes clear that waste producers and businesses managing bin storage areas have the primary responsibility for ensuring people do not get into bins. Where practicable, this means locating bins in secure areas, ensuring proper lighting, and training staff to watch for and report signs of people attempting to access bins.

Where there are signs of people getting or trying to get into bins, businesses should use appropriate bin types to minimise risks. Those with lid locks, lid-opening restrictors, fixed or lockable grilles, or other access-restrictors. These security devices must be properly maintained and used at all times. During periods of cold or wet weather, these checks become even more critical.

Employees who discover someone in a bin need to understand how people in such vulnerable circumstances are likely to behave and how to manage the situation and their own safety. There is potential for aggression or violence, and workers should not attempt to restrain anyone, especially if they try to flee. The priority is helping people get out safely and reporting the incident appropriately (including under RIDDOR regulations if there are fatalities or serious injuries requiring hospital treatment).

As we approach the coldest time of the year, every business that manages commercial waste bins should review their procedures. Recording incidents where people are found in or near bins (even when no injury occurs) and sharing this information between waste producers and collectors can help all parties assess whether their control measures are adequate and identify where improvements are needed.

These are simple measures. They cost little. But they could save a life.

Notes to editors:

HSE contributes to award-winning hydrogen safety research in aviation sector

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has played a key role in a major research project that has been recognised with a national award for innovation in sustainable transport.

The research project focused on critical safety research to support the safe deployment of hydrogen in aviation taking place over a three-year period between 2022 and 2025.

Project ZEST (Zero Emission Sustainable Transport), led by Airbus, received the ‘Shaping the Future’ award at the Aerospace Technology and Innovation Conference 2025 on 5 November.

HSE has been at the forefront of hydrogen safety research for more than two decades. It is 21 years since it was a founding member of HySafe, the European network of excellence supporting the safe introduction of hydrogen technologies.

As part of Project Zest, HSE carried out key experimental work to understand the risks associated with technologies for potential future hydrogen use.

Professor Stuart Hawksworth, Head of the Centre for Energy and Major Hazards at HSE’s Science Division, said:

“This award confirms the key role we play in leading research into the safe deployment of hydrogen. The Health and Safety Executive continues to drive international collaboration and publish influential research in this area.”

HSE’s work spans multiple sectors, from supporting the gas industry to assess hydrogen safety in infrastructure, to contributing to aviation research through the Aerospace Technology Institute’s (ATI) FlyZero programme. As founding members of the International Association for Hydrogen Safety and contributions to activities such as Research Priorities Workshop, HSE has helped set global expectations for research and collaboration.

The ZEST project builds on this legacy, reinforcing HSE’s commitment to advancing hydrogen safety as technologies evolve. HSE supported the Zest project working in collaboration with partners including Trelleborg, Senior Aerospace, Cranfield University, Warwick Manufacturing Group, Manchester Metropolitan University, the Universities of Bath and Strathclyde, and London South Bank University.

Notes to editors:

  1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
  2. The Aerospace Technology & Innovation Conference is an annual event showcasing advancements in aerospace research and development.
  3. For more information on HSE’s work on hydrogen safety, visit www.hse.gov.uk.

HSE publishes annual workplace health and safety statistics

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has today (Thursday 20 November) published its annual statistics on work-related ill health and workplace injuries for 2024/25.

The figures show that an estimated 1.9 million workers suffered from work-related ill health during 2024/25, remaining broadly consistent with the levels seen in recent years.

While the recent rates of self-reported work-related ill health are similar, they continue to be higher than pre-pandemic levels recorded in 2018/19.

Mental health conditions remain the primary driver of work-related ill health, with 964,000 workers reporting stress, depression or anxiety caused or made worse by work in 2024/25. This is in line with the upward trend in recent years.

Work-related ill health and injuries resulted in an estimated 40.1 million working days lost in 2024/25, continuing to place significant pressure on both workers and businesses.

HSE Chief Executive Sarah Albon said: “Great Britain maintains its position as one of the safest places to work globally, built on more than 50 years of health and safety regulation. However, these statistics demonstrate that workplace health challenges persist, particularly around mental health.

“We remain firmly committed to protecting people and places, supporting businesses to create healthier working environments, and ensuring continuous improvement in workplace safety standards across Britain.”

The statistics also highlight the economic impact of workplace health and safety issues. In 2023/24, the estimated annual cost of workplace injuries and new cases of work-related ill health reached £22.9 billion, similar to the estimate for 2022/23.

Fatal and non-fatal workplace injuries in 2024/25 totalled 124 worker fatalities and an estimated 680,000 self-reported non-fatal injuries.

Notes to editors:

  1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
  2. Details on HSE’s work-related mental health campaign, Working Minds, can be found here Working Minds – Work Right
  3. Details on HSE’s 10-year strategy can be found here HSE strategy 2022 to 2032 – About us – HSE.
  4. HSE’s annual statistics on work-related ill health and workplace injuries for 2024/25 can be found here – Health and safety statistics – HSE
  5. The annual costs are based on three-year rolling average, with the named year based on the middle year of the three, for example 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25 average is referred to as 2023/24.

Protecting workers from workplace transport: getting the basics right

Every year, families across Great Britain face the devastating loss of a loved one killed by a reversing vehicle at work. These are not just statistics. They are family members, friends and colleagues whose lives were cut short by entirely preventable accidents.

The stark reality is that being struck by a moving vehicle accounts for 16% of all fatal work-related injuries, claiming an average of 21 lives annually over the past 5 years, making it one of the leading causes of work-related fatalities in Great Britain.

Looking at these incidents we see that many feature the same pattern – reversing vehicles.

Recent months have brought this issue into sharp focus, with fines reaching £2.5 million as case after case reveals the same preventable failures.

“What strikes me most about these cases is not the complexity of the failures, but their simplicity,” says John Rowe, Deputy Director for Technical Support and Engagement at the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). “Time and again, we see deaths that could have been prevented by basic measures that cost far less than the fines that are ultimately imposed.”

The pattern is clear across multiple industries including agriculture (27% of vehicle deaths), construction, and transportation and storage (17% each). But the solutions are equally clear, if employers are willing to implement them properly.

Why these incidents happen

Workplace transport fatalities follow predictable patterns. Workers are struck by reversing vehicles in yards where pedestrians and vehicles share space. Drivers cannot see properly because reversing aids are broken or missing. Sites lack traffic management. There are no designated safe routes for people on foot.

These incidents occur when safety is treated as optional. Delivery schedules take priority over having a banksman present. Reversing cameras stay broken because fixing them seems expensive. Pedestrian walkways are never created because “we’ve always managed without them.” Or they are created but their use is not enforced – potentially creating an even more dangerous situation on site.

Preventing vehicle-related deaths means making safety fundamental to how sites operate. This must happen before any vehicle moves. It requires understanding risks and committing to control them properly.

How to prevent these incidents

Safe site design separates people from vehicles wherever possible. This means creating dedicated walkways with physical barriers, using one-way traffic systems to reduce reversing, and designating loading areas away from where people work. Sites need proper lighting so drivers can see clearly throughout the day. Pedestrian routes must be visible and obvious to everyone.

Vehicles must be maintained and fit for purpose. Reversing aids are essential safety equipment, not extras. CCTV systems, audible alarms and sensors help drivers detect hazards they cannot see directly. These systems only protect workers when they are working properly. Regular vehicle checks must be standard practice. Any vehicle with defects must be taken out of service until repairs are completed.

People remain central to safe operations. Sites need drivers who understand the specific risks they face, know when to request a banksman, and feel able to stop work if conditions become unsafe. This applies to regular staff, visiting drivers and contractors who may not be familiar with the site. Training must go beyond basic vehicle operation to cover the realities of working safely in each specific environment.

It is not enough to just implement the necessary precautions, it is just as important to ensure that employees, and drivers, maintain standards or follow safe working practices.  Managers and supervisors should routinely challenge and investigate unsafe behaviours they come across.

Moving forward

The £1 million and £2.5 million fines making headlines represent more than financial penalties. They mark families destroyed by entirely preventable failures. Agriculture, forestry and fishing loses six workers annually to vehicle strikes, construction, and transportation and storage each lose four, but every sector sees deaths that proper management could eliminate.

Preventing workplace transport deaths requires organisations to implement proven control measures consistently. This means conducting thorough risk assessments, maintaining equipment rigorously, and empowering workers to identify hazards before incidents occur.

You can find comprehensive guidance on workplace transport on our website.

Notes to editors

World Mental Health Day: Protect your team’s mental health – and your business

To mark World Mental Health Day 2025, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is urging employers to go beyond raising awareness and take practical steps to prevent work-related stress. 

In 2023/24, approximately half of all self-reported cases of work-related ill health in Great Britain—whether new or ongoing—were linked to stress, depression, or anxiety, according to data from the Labour Force Survey and HSE statistics. On average, each affected worker took 19.6 days off due to these conditions. The impact on businesses is significant – increased absence, reduced productivity, and higher staff turnover. 

Take action 

Kayleigh Roberts, Work-Related Stress Policy Lead at HSE, said: “This World Mental Health Day, we’re asking employers to keep talking – but start doing. We regularly hear from businesses struggling with rising absence, falling performance, and high staff turnover – often caused by preventable stress at work. 

“The good news is that even small changes can make a big difference. Taking steps like reviewing workloads, enhancing communication, or giving staff greater autonomy can lead to improved wellbeing and stronger business performance. The organisations that thrive are those that address the root causes of stress before they escalate into a crisis.” 

Support that works 

HSE’s Working Minds campaign now includes 36 partners, reinforcing that mental health is a business priority, not just a moral responsibility. 

The campaign’s five steps – Reach out, Recognise, Respond, Reflect, and make it Routine – offer employers a clear framework to manage the six key causes of work-related stress: demands, control, support, relationships, role clarity, and change management. 

More than 18,000 business leaders have already accessed HSE’s free online learning platform, with 94% saying they now feel confident in applying what they’ve learned. 

Make a practical change today 

This World Mental Health Day, commit to one change your business can make right now. Start with any of these practical steps: 

Visit our Work Right website to access tools, templates, and free training. 

The time to act is now. Protecting mental health is good for your people – and good for your business. 

Worcester waste company fined after worker suffers life-changing crush injuries

A Worcester-based waste and recycling company has been fined £160,000 after a loading shovel bucket fell onto a maintenance worker.

Blackpole Recycling Limited was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following the incident at its site on Blackpole Trading Estate West in Worcester.

Mr Andrew Taylor, a father of two from Worcester, was fixing a hydraulic leak on the loading shovel when the vehicle’s bucket fell on him. He was airlifted to hospital where he required three operations. His crush injuries included fractures to his ribs, leg, foot and pelvis, which was shattered into three pieces.

Photograph of loading shovel

Speaking about the incident, Mr Taylor said: “I remember being in the emergency room with 15 doctors and nurses, and my wife. The nurse told me not to worry but I was worried about the here and now. Prior to the accident I used to go to the gym and go running, but since the accident I can’t even get up the stairs.”

HSE’s investigation found that Blackpole Recycling Limited had failed to undertake a risk assessment for the maintenance activity and had not devised a safe system of work. The company also failed to provide adequate information, instruction and training to Mr Taylor.

Blackpole Recycling Limited, of Thorneloe House, 25 Barbourne Road, Worcester, Worcestershire, England, WR1 1RU, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company wase fined £160,000 and ordered to pay £7,049 in costs and a victims surcharge of £2,000 at a hearing at Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court on 30 September 2025.

HSE Inspector Charlie Rowe, who led the investigation, said: “This incident could and should have been prevented. Had a safe system of work been in place, Mr Taylor would not have sustained these serious, life-changing injuries.

“The absence of an appropriate risk assessment, method statement, training and supervision for this maintenance task created a scenario where someone could easily have been killed.

“Employers must ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the safety of their employees. Where they fail to do so, HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action.”

The prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Matthew Reynolds and paralegal officer Jason Dix.

Further information:

  1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
  2. More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
  3. Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
  4. HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so.  The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences can be found here.

Getting personal hearing protection right: what really matters

Personal hearing protection is the last line of defence between your workers and permanent hearing damage. But poor management turns every pound spent on earmuffs and earplugs into wasted money.

“This isn’t about blame – it’s about recognising a key challenge,” explains Chris Steel, HSE’s Principal Specialist Inspector.

Personal protective equipment sits at the bottom of the hierarchy of control because it needs constant attention. Unlike engineering controls that work automatically, hearing protection requires ongoing information, instruction, training and supervision to stay effective.

From our inspections across workplaces in Great Britain, we’ve identified the crucial questions every employer should ask about their hearing protection programme. Get this right before inspectors visit, and you’ll be protecting your workforce properly.

Condition: is your protection actually protecting?

Hearing protection only works when it’s in good condition. Earmuffs with stretched headbands, missing foam padding, damaged seals or cracked cups give false security rather than real protection. These defects create gaps that let through harmful noise, potentially causing permanent hearing loss.

Single-use earplugs don’t work if workers treat them as reusable. Once removed – for breaks, conversations or toilet visits – they must be thrown away. Brief removal compromises their integrity and putting them back rarely achieves the same protective seal.

Reusable plugs come with issues of their own. During one site visit, Steel’s team met a worker still using moulded earplugs he’d been given at 18 – he was 43 when they spoke to him. Materials degrade over time, ear canals change, and effectiveness drops substantially. Do your workers know replacement schedules? More importantly, do they know how and where to get fresh protection when needed?

Use: making protection accessible

“Hearing protection is useless sitting in storage whilst workers operate noisy equipment,” Steel emphasises. Timing matters: protection must go on before exposure begins and stay on throughout the hazardous period.

Think about placement strategically. Steel has seen one factory manager leave an inspector at the entrance whilst he walked 100 metres to fetch his earplugs, then walked back before inserting them – defeating the purpose entirely. Put supplies where workers need them, when they need them.

Proper fitting: the devil in the detail

Even premium hearing protection fails when worn incorrectly. Earplugs need clean hands for hygienic insertion and proper technique to achieve effective sealing. Workers must understand how to straighten their ear canals during insertion – a skill requiring demonstration and practice.

Earmuffs seem foolproof until you see them worn over hats, hoods or hair accessories. These seemingly minor problems create significant gaps in protection. Helmet-mounted systems add complexity: you can’t assume compatibility between helmet and earmuff systems just because components physically connect.

Individual differences matter enormously. Some workers can’t use standard earplugs due to narrow ear canals or other physical factors. Regulations require employers to offer suitable alternatives, not force unsuitable solutions. Regular observation helps identify workers struggling with proper fitting, often showing the need for different protection types rather than more training.

Performance: matching protection to need

Effective hearing protection requires technical matching between workplace noise levels and protection capabilities. During one site visit, one employee had chosen earplugs based solely on their football team’s colours – hardly acceptable performance criteria.

Understanding your workplace noise levels in decibels provides the foundation for proper specification. Each protection type has a Single Number Rating (SNR) showing its noise reduction capability. HSE’s calculator tools and guidance help match protection performance to actual requirements.

Crucially, adequate protection shouldn’t create new hazards. Over-protection can stop workers hearing essential warning alarms, creating safety risks that outweigh the benefits. Once workers wear hearing protection, check they can still detect critical safety signals.

The CUFF approach: systematic assessment

Managing hearing protection effectively requires systematic attention to four key elements – remember CUFF:

Condition: Regular inspection ensures protection remains physically capable of doing its job.

Use: Proper timing and accessibility enable consistent protection during hazardous activities.

Fit the ear: Correct wearing technique maximises the protection potential of well-chosen equipment.

Fit for purpose: Technical matching between hazard levels and protection capabilities ensures adequate safety without creating new risks.

Moving forward

Personal hearing protection demands active management rather than passive provision. The administrative burden reflects the serious consequences of failure: once hearing damage occurs, it can’t be reversed.

Next time you walk around your workplace, think CUFF when observing hearing protection use. These real examples from our inspections show how easily well-intentioned programmes can fail without proper attention to detail.

The investment in proper hearing protection management pays dividends in reduced injury rates, improved compliance and enhanced workplace culture. Most significantly, it preserves something irreplaceable: your workers’ ability to hear.

Noise: Management of exposure in the workplace – 28 October 2025

Protect your workforce from noise-induced hearing loss with HSE’s one-day training course on 28 October 2025 in Buxton, covering risk assessment and compliance with the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005. Essential for health and safety practitioners, managers, and supervisors responsible for managing workplace noise risks.