WOBO recognises the activities of the UK Health and Safety Executive and their potential use within the global setting.
Building Assessment Certificates: additional buildings to be assessed
In 2024 to 2025, we directed more than 1,400 Principle Accountable Persons (PAPs) to apply for a Building Assessment Certificate (BAC).
The first certificate was issued in January 2025. We are now looking to carry out additional assessments on buildings:
- over 30 to 49.99 metres high with more than 11 residential units
- 18 to 29.99 metres high with more than 378 residential units
We have a range of useful BAC resources, FAQs and webinars for PAPs preparing to make an application on our Making Buildings Safer campaign website.
Visit the Making Buildings Safer website and access the resources
Assistance to multi-disciplinary teams: local authority guidance – BSR’s multi-disciplinary teams (MDTs) are composed of professionals from different disciplines.
They include registered building inspectors, fire specialists, structural engineers and other specialists as needed. Each higher-risk building project or building assessment is assigned an MDT to advise BSR’s decision-making.
HSE has published guidance for local authorities explaining:
- how those authorities and persons can work with BSR in MDTs
- what BSR can request
- what experience and level of competence the authorities should provide, and when
Read the guidance for local authorities
Working Minds – aches, pains, strains and stress – Serious aches, pains and strains can have a significant impact on mental health.
Most work-related ill health stems from stress, depression, anxiety and musculoskeletal disorders. Workplace factors such as excessive pressure, demanding workloads and insufficient breaks can negatively impact both mental and physical health.
Problems might arise from manual handling tasks, their workstation set up, or extended periods at a computer without breaks.
Remember to include both physical and mental health issues in routine conversations with workers about health and when reviewing risk assessment.
For more information:
- find out about the measures you can put in place to keep people well on our Work Right website
- view a video from the Head of Health and Safety for Europe at Laing O’Rourke, about reducing the toll on human bodies and mental health
Working in hot temperatures – Employers must ensure workers are protected during hot weather.
There’s no law for maximum working temperature, or when it’s too hot to work, because every workplace is different.
HSE’s website has a practical step guide on temperature in the workplace.
This includes guidance on:
- what the law says
- managing workplace temperature
- preventing heat stress
- protecting those working outdoors
We also provide a workplace temperature checklist to help you carry out a basic risk assessment.
View the full range of guidance by visiting HSE’s temperature webpages.
Health surveillance in construction – Health and safety law requires health surveillance when your workers remain exposed to some health risks after you have put controls in place.
Health surveillance is a scheme of repeated health checks which are used to identify ill health caused by work.
Our health surveillance webpages have advice on:
- managing the risk
- consulting workers
- understanding the type of health surveillance your business needs
- setting up a health surveillance scheme
- acting on the results
Our website also has advice on health risks in construction.
Management, training, the law and consequences
The Control of Asbestos Regulations and guidance text is relevant for employers for building management, and when employing those who may disturb asbestos during their work, such as skilled trades.
There is no safe level of asbestos exposure and all work on asbestos-containing materials requires specific training and controls.
Managing asbestos in buildings
If you are responsible for maintenance and repair of non-domestic buildings or multi-occupancy domestic premises, you have a legal duty to manage asbestos in a building.
This could be the building owner, landlord, person or organisation with clear responsibility for the building’s maintenance or repair. The responsible or appointed person should be competent to do this work, which may include training.
Find out more about:
- Asbestos management in buildings, our 1-day in person training course being held on 3 September at HSE’s Science and Research Centre in Buxton
- our online course, Duty to manage asbestos. Please email us for further details
- HSE’s Asbestos – Your Duty campaign and resources
Asbestos awareness training
Asbestos awareness training helps prevent disturbing asbestos during work but doesn’t qualify you to handle asbestos materials.
Anyone who could disturb asbestos through their work, or who supervises such work, must know how to recognise and avoid asbestos-containing materials.
Find out more about different levels of training.
HSE’s Asbestos and You campaign has resources including:
- a quick guide for tradespeople to know what to watch for
- what to do should you come across asbestos
Managing the risk of working at height – Falls when working at height are the most common kind of workplace fatality.
Considering the risks associated with working at height, putting in place sensible and proportionate measures to manage them is an important part of working safely.
Our step-by-step guide to working at height can help you control the risks.
It is also vital to make sure any scaffolding is stable and safe at all times.
Our scaffold guidance explains when a scaffold design is required. It also covers the level of training and competence needed for those erecting, dismantling, altering, inspecting and supervising scaffolding.
Visit our website for more guidance on managing the risks of working at height.
Make sure you are prepared when an inspector calls – It is important to be prepared when an HSE inspector calls at your business.
They will look at how you keep your workers, and anyone who may be affected by your work, healthy and safe.
Inspectors may also give you health and safety advice or make sure you are providing suitable welfare facilities.
We have resources that will help you prepare – they explain:
- what to expect when an inspector visits your business and how inspections are carried out
- why inspections are an important part of keeping people healthy and safe at work
- how to let workers and their representatives know about information an inspector may provide during a visit
You can:
- download our leaflet: When a health and safety inspector calls
- watch our animation about an inspector’s call on YouTube
HSE publishes latest work-related fatal injury statistics – In the last year, 124 workers were killed in work-related incidents in Great Britain.
HSE’s annual data release covers the period from April 2024 to March 2025.
The total of 124 worker deaths is lower than the previous year (138) but remains broadly in line with pre-pandemic levels.
The most common causes of fatal injuries are falls from height (35), being struck by a moving object (18), and being trapped by something collapsing or overturning (17).
- find out more in our fatal injury statistics press release
- view the fatal injury statistics in full on our website
HSE has also published the annual figures for Mesothelioma, a cancer caused by past exposure to asbestos. 2,218 people died from the disease in 2023.