Workplace Inspections

Workplace safety inspections that catch it early.

Routine, documented health & safety inspections of your premises and sites — the regular set of competent eyes that finds hazards before an incident or an HSE inspector does. CMIOSH consultants, monthly or quarterly, UK-wide. Since 1984.

Inspections at a glance
Monthly / quarterly
Visit frequencySet to your risk profile
Documented report
What you receiveFindings vs legislation, prioritised
CMIOSH-led
Who inspectsA competent person, verifiably
UK-wide
CoverageOn-site, any region
What it means

What a workplace inspection is

A workplace inspection is a physical, observational check of your premises or site — walking the workplace, watching how work is actually done, talking to staff and examining equipment to spot hazards and unsafe practice. It is distinct from an audit: an inspection looks at physical conditions and behaviour on the day, while an audit examines the management system behind them.

There is no law that names “inspections” as a specific duty — but Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and Regulation 5 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require every employer to proactively monitor their risk controls. Routine inspections are the standard, practical way to discharge that monitoring duty — and to find problems while they are cheap and easy to fix.

KeyOstas delivers scheduled inspections — typically monthly or quarterly, set to your risk profile — each one a structured walk-through producing a documented Site Inspection Report: findings benchmarked against the relevant legislation, with prioritised, owner-assigned actions.

What we deliver

What a workplace inspection includes

A structured, repeatable inspection programme — delivered by a CMIOSH consultant on the frequency your risk profile demands.

Structured site walk-through

A systematic walk of your premises or site against an inspection schedule built for your operations.

Observation of work activity

We watch how tasks are actually performed — not just static conditions — to catch unsafe practice.

Equipment & condition checks

Plant, access equipment, welfare facilities, housekeeping, signage and fire precautions reviewed on each visit.

Staff conversations

Short discussions with people on the floor to surface near misses and concerns that paperwork misses.

Documented inspection report

A written Site Inspection Report — findings benchmarked against the relevant legislation, scored and prioritised.

Action tracking between visits

Each finding becomes a tracked action; the next visit checks that the last visit's actions were closed out.

Why KeyOstas

Inspections by Chartered consultants

Four reasons UK employers put KeyOstas on a routine inspection schedule.

01

Chartered consultants

Five CMIOSH-grade consultants — Chartered Members of IOSH, the highest grade IOSH awards. Most one-person UK consultancies hold no Chartered grade at all.

02

OSHCR registered

Our lead consultant is listed on the Occupational Safety and Health Consultants Register — the cross-body register endorsed by HSE, IOSH and IEMA. Verify us directly on OSHCR.

03

Senior-led, always

No junior account managers, no offshored advice lines. The Chartered consultant who scopes your engagement on the free call is the consultant who delivers it.

04

Practical, not bureaucratic

Findings closed, not just listed. Documents your team will actually use. The benchmark is whether this made your business safer.

How we work

Three steps to start an engagement

From first call to delivery, the Chartered consultant you meet is the consultant who does the work — no handoffs, no junior advisors.

1

Free 20-minute scoping call

Talk to a Chartered consultant. We map your current state, your regulatory exposure and your priorities. No obligation, no pitch.

2

Proposal in 24 hours

Written scope, deliverables, the named consultant who will lead, and a fixed fee or retainer rate — in your inbox within one working day.

3

Delivery and handover

Site work, documentation and ongoing competent-person support if you need it. The consultant who scoped the work is the consultant who delivers it.

Pricing

Two ways to engage on inspections

A one-off inspection is fixed-scope project work; a routine inspection programme sits naturally inside a retained advisory package.

Retained advisory
From £495 per year

A scheduled inspection programme — monthly or quarterly — plus ongoing competent-person support, inside a retained package. Silver tier and above include Competent Person nomination.

Bronze £495Silver £970Gold £1,600Platinum £2,995
Frequently asked

Workplace inspection questions

The questions UK buyers ask us most about this service. Tap any to expand.

What is the difference between a workplace inspection and an audit?

An inspection is a physical, observational check — walking the workplace to spot hazards and unsafe practice on the day. An audit is deeper and systemic: it reviews the management system behind those hazards, including policies, procedures and records, against current law. You need both; they answer different questions.

Are workplace inspections a legal requirement?

There is no law that names “inspections” as a duty. But Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and Regulation 5 of MHSWR 1999 require employers to proactively monitor their risk controls — and routine documented inspections are the recognised way to meet that monitoring duty.

How often should workplace inspections be carried out?

Frequency should be set by your risk profile. For most organisations a monthly or quarterly schedule is appropriate; higher-risk sites may need more frequent visits. Your own risk assessments should inform the interval.

Who should carry out a workplace inspection?

A competent person — with sufficient training, knowledge and experience for your hazards. That can be a suitably trained internal person or an external H&S consultant. KeyOstas inspections are delivered by CMIOSH (Chartered) consultants for an independent, credible result.

What is included in a workplace inspection report?

A KeyOstas Site Inspection Report records what was found, benchmarks it against the relevant legislation, scores it and lists prioritised actions — each with an owner and a target date. The following visit checks that the previous visit's actions were closed.

What do HSE inspectors look for?

HSE inspectors look for evidence that you are managing risk — suitable risk assessments, effective controls, a clear H&S policy, training records, and proactive monitoring. A routine inspection programme both prepares you for an HSE visit and demonstrates the monitoring HSE expects to see.

Ready when you are

Put your sites on a routine inspection schedule

Free 20-minute scoping call. Written proposal and fixed fee within 24 hours. CMIOSH consultants, UK-wide.

Book a scoping call →
What you get
Monthly or quarterly, set to your risk
Documented report vs legislation
Actions tracked between visits
CMIOSH consultant on every visit
UK-wide, on-site