The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), reporting to the Health and Safety Commission, is the British government body responsible for the regulation of risks to health and safety in the UK. It was created as a result of the Health and Safety at Work, etc, Act 1974, and has since absorbed earlier regulatory bodies such as the Factory Inspectorate and the Railway Inspectorate. Governmentally, the HSE forms part of the Department of Work and Pensions. As part of its work HSE investigates industrial accidents, such as the high profile explosion and fire at Buncefield in 2005.

The HSE focuses regulation of health and safety in the following sectors of industry:

• Agriculture
• Air transport
• Armed forces
• Catering & hospitality
• Construction industries
• Crown establishments
• Chemical manufacture and storage industries
• Professional diving
• Dockwork
• Education sector e.g schools
• Engineering sector
• Entertainment & leisure industry
• Fire Service
• Food & drink manufacture
• Footwear and leather industries
• Haulage
• Health Services e.g. hospitals
• Gas transportation grid
• Laundries and dry-cleaning
• Mining
• Motor Vehicle Repair
• Nuclear installations Nuclear Installations Inspectorate aka NII
• Office work
• Offshore gas and oil installations
• Paper and board manufacturing industry
• Police Force
• Printing industries
• Public services
• The Quarry industry
• Recycling and waste management industries
• Textiles industries

HSE was formerly responsible for railway safety, but this responsibility was transferred to the Office of Rail Regulation in 2006.

Local government bodies are responsible to the HSE for the enforcement of safety laws in shops, offices, and other parts of the service sector.

External links

• HSE website

Health in the United Kingdom | Public bodies and task forces of the United Kingdom government | Law enforcement agencies of the United Kingdom | Health and Safety Executive