Health and Safety Executive’s focus for 2026 – inspection and enforcement

The latest KPI report from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) offers more than just performance metrics – it outlines how the regulator is evolving to meet modern challenges, from mental health to industrial transformation.

A shift toward smarter regulation

One of the biggest takeaways is the HSE’s focus on efficiency and smarter decision-making. Performance is no longer just about enforcement activity- it’s about impact.  By improving how quickly decisions are made and how resources are allocated, the HSE aims to ensure that attention is directed where it matters most: high-risk sectors and emerging threats.

Mental health takes centre stage

Importantly, work-related mental health and stress are front and centre in performance measurement. This reflects a broader trend across workplaces, where psychological wellbeing is now recognised as equally important as physical safety. The HSE’s KPIs reinforce that employers must take stress, burnout, and mental health risks seriously.

Building trust in a changing world

Another key priority is public confidence. The HSE wants people to feel safe not only at work but also in the environments where they live and interact. This requires working towards:

• Transparent regulation
• Better stakeholder engagement
• Consistent enforcement

The intended outcome is that trust should become a measurable outcome- not just an abstract goal.

Supporting innovation – safely

As industries evolve toward net zero and new technologies, the HSE plans to adapt its role.

Rather than acting purely as an enforcer, the intention is to become an enabler of safe innovation. This is critical in sectors like energy, construction, and manufacturing, where rapid change can introduce new risks.

Maintaining the UK’s safety record

The UK is already one of the safest places to work globally, and maintaining that position remains a core objective for HSE.

The KPI framework ensures that:

• Safety standards don’t slip
• Lessons are learned from accidents
• Continuous improvement remains embedded

Why this matters for business  

For organisations, the message is clear:

• Performance will be judged more holistically
• Mental health is now a compliance issue
• Efficiency and responsiveness are key expectations
• Innovation must go hand in hand with safety

HSE’s position is that businesses that align with these priorities will not only stay compliant but also build stronger, safer workplaces.

Ratings

In terms of breaking down the KPIs, we can see HSE is reaching most of their objectives except from:

• Responding to Freedom of Information requests within the deadlines
• Responding to Teir 1 complaints within deadlines
• Delivering proactive inspections, reaching 94% of their 14,000 proactive inspections target in 2025-2026.
• Conducting inspections on broad health priorities (including hearing loss, musculoskeletal disorders, health surveillance, asbestos cases), again, reaching 94% of their 8,000-inspection target.

Conclusion

The HSE KPIs report signals a clear intention to shift from traditional enforcement to data-driven, proactive and efficient regulation.

For employers and safety professionals, it does attempt to present a roadmap for the future- one where safety is integrated into every aspect of work, from wellbeing to innovation.

The renewed focus on proactive inspection should be noted by duty-holders. Fee for Intervention costs continue to be recovered by HSE where they identify material breaches of health and safety law, absent an incident. That trend will continue and we may see increasing numbers of Notification of Contravention letters issued to seemingly non-compliant workplaces for a whole raft of health and safety breaches.

Please contact the health and safety Team for any advice or assistance you, or your business requires.

Vikki Watt, Partner: vwa@bto.co.uk / 0141 673 2412

Maia Campbell (author of article): Trainee Solicitor, mcb@bto.co.uk / 0141 221 8012