The UK's Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is increasing its focus on workplace health, occupational disease prevention and reporting standards, with several significant developments emerging during 2026.
Whilst many businesses associate health and safety with accident prevention, the regulator's priorities are increasingly shifting towards long-term health risks, governance and organisational accountability.
For SMEs, particularly those operating in construction, manufacturing, engineering, logistics and property services, these changes have implications that extend beyond compliance and into insurance, risk management and business resilience.
The Biggest Development: Proposed Changes To RIDDOR
The HSE has launched proposals to modernise the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR).
The proposals include:
- Expanding the list of reportable occupational diseases
- Broadening the range of healthcare professionals whose diagnoses could trigger reporting obligations
- Updating dangerous occurrence reporting requirements to better reflect modern workplaces
If implemented, businesses may need to review existing incident reporting procedures, occupational health arrangements and record-keeping practices.
Occupational Health Under The Spotlight
Historically, workplace injuries have received the greatest attention from employers. However, occupational illness is becoming a key focus for both regulators and insurers.
Areas attracting increased scrutiny include:
- Respiratory disease
- Silica dust exposure
- Occupational cancers
- Noise-induced hearing loss
- Long-term workplace health conditions
These risks often result in higher-value claims and can create significant long-term liabilities for businesses.
Increased Enforcement Activity
The HSE has signalled increased enforcement activity across sectors where workplace health risks are prevalent.
This includes greater focus on:
- Dust and airborne contaminants
- Health surveillance programmes
- Contractor management
- Risk assessment quality
- Senior management oversight
Businesses unable to demonstrate effective controls may face enforcement action, reputational damage and increased insurance scrutiny.
What Does This Mean For Insurance?
Many insurers are increasingly using risk management and governance standards as part of their underwriting assessment.
Businesses that can demonstrate
- Effective reporting processes
- Strong health and safety culture
- Clear management oversight
- Robust occupational health controls
are often viewed more favourably during renewal discussions.
Conversely, poor reporting standards, enforcement notices or weak governance can affect insurer appetite and pricing.
Sector-Specific Considerations
Construction & Engineering : Construction businesses should review controls around silica exposure, contractor management, working at height and incident reporting.
Manufacturing: Manufacturers should focus on occupational health monitoring, machinery safety, noise exposure and employee wellbeing programmes.
Logistics & Distribution: Warehouse operations, fleet risk management, manual handling and workforce safety remain key priorities.
Property & Facilities Management: Businesses operating in multi-contractor environments should ensure robust contractor oversight and compliance processes.
How Businesses Can Prepare
Now is an ideal time for organisations to review:
- Incident and near-miss reporting procedures
- Health and safety governance structures
- Occupational health monitoring programmes
- Contractor management controls
- Risk assessment and documentation standards
By acting early, businesses can improve compliance, strengthen their risk profile and create more positive outcomes during insurance renewals.
Supporting Businesses Through Change - Practical Steps SMEs Should Take Now
At Readhunt, we believe effective insurance advice goes beyond policy placement. To prepare for evolving HSE requirements and demonstrate a proactive approach to risk management, SMEs should consider:
- Reviewing incident, accident and near-miss reporting procedures to ensure they remain robust and compliant.
- Assessing occupational health risks across the business, particularly those associated with dust, noise, repetitive tasks and long-term health conditions.
- Updating risk assessments and ensuring they accurately reflect current workplace activities and emerging regulatory expectations.
- Strengthening contractor management processes, including due diligence, supervision and record keeping.
- Establishing clear health and safety accountability at senior management level and regularly reviewing governance arrangements.
- Improving documentation and audit trails to support compliance and demonstrate effective risk controls.
- Engaging employees in health and safety initiatives to encourage reporting, awareness and a positive safety culture.
- Identifying and addressing any compliance gaps before they become regulatory, operational or insurance concerns.
Taking these steps now can help businesses reduce regulatory exposure, improve workplace safety and present a stronger risk profile to insurers, clients and other stakeholders.
By helping businesses understand emerging regulatory requirements and strengthening their approach to risk management, we support clients in protecting their people, improving resilience and demonstrating their value to insurers.
If you'd like to discuss how these developments could affect your business, our team would be happy to help. Contact us on info@readhunt.co.uk.