What can we expect in 2026?
It is worth looking at 2026 in three key areas:
1.) HSE strategy
2.) HSE inspection and enforcement priorities
3.) Anticipated changes to the law
With that in mind, here’s a quick review of HSE’s 2025:
- UK workplaces had fewer fatal accidents, non-fatal injuries, and musculoskeletal cases
- More workplace stress is being reported
- Increased enforcement activity – translating to 246 prosecutions, around £33m in fines, and a 96% conviction rate
- The economic cost of workplace injury and ill-health has increased to £22.9bn – mainly due to rising mental health problems and around nine million workers reporting work-related ill-health
This provides important context.
HSE’s 2026 priorities are sign-posted within its’ ongoing ‘Protecting People and Places 2022 – 2032‘ strategy, and its’ top-level strategic goals for 2026 align with this, focusing on five key areas:
- Reducing work-related ill health, especially mental health and stress, through expanding campaigns like ‘Working Minds‘ and targeted inspections
- Building public trust in safe workplaces, homes, and environments via building safety regulations and chemicals oversight.
- Enabling safe industry innovation, particularly for net-zero goals like hydrogen and carbon capture
- Maintaining the UK’s status as a safe place to work by addressing the most common risks, like falls from height
- Ensuring the HSE remains an effective organisation by attracting skilled staff and efficient operations
HSE’s 2026 inspection priorities
HSE says it is planning around 14,000 proactive inspections in 2025/26 (i.e. extending into 2026), prioritising health-focused interventions. This translates to the following areas of focus:
- Mental health, stress, violence, and aggression, with psychological risks now being integrated into routine checks
- Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), pushing for engineering controls over administrative fixes
- Occupational lung diseases, asbestos management, noise, Legionella, and hazardous dusts like silica
- High-risk issues: falls from height, workplace transport, electrical safety, and explosions
HSE enforcement and guidance
In light of the 2025 statistics, it is reasonable to assume that the HSE’s increased use of criminal prosecution as an enforcement tool will continue its upward trend.
Mental health risks must now be formally assessed under existing Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, with an HSE enforcement focus – this follows campaigns like Working Minds amid 1.9 million ill health cases in 2024/25 (mostly stress-related).
Reflecting the evolution in working arrangements, remote/hybrid workers now require DSE assessments, home risk evaluations, and the provision of appropriate equipment to ensure safe working – this is also a priority enforcement area for HSE.
Note that the new BSI standard BS 30480 on workplace suicide prevention offers guidance to businesses (note, this is not mandatory) for risk management and intervention. This will now be looked at as best practice.
Changes to the law
The most significant new legislation comprises:
- Martyn’s Law (Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025): Requiring public venues to conduct security risk assessments, train staff, implement access controls, and appoint security leads; phased rollout impacts shopping centres and event spaces
- Building Safety Regulator Independence: The BSR became a standalone body on 27 January 2026, transferring from HSE, aiming to achieve greater accountability in high-risk buildings
- Asbestos Reforms: HSE consultation (closed January 2026) proposes stricter Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, including better surveys, independent clearance processes, and clearer notifiable non-licensed work definitions
Mental health and stress are central to HSE’s strategy. Inspections will increasingly assess psychological health alongside physical risks, and neglecting stress risk assessments or failing to implement effective wellbeing measures may open businesses up to enforcement action.
In conclusion, a lot to think about – enforcement activity last year was substantial, and the HSE has made it clear that organisations must move past reactive compliance, it expects leadership, robust governance and oversight, and a clear focus on organisations building a culture of prevention.
For additional context (separate from the insights in this blog), watch our webinar recording: Staying Compliant in 2026 – The Latest Health and Safety Legal Update.