An unannounced HSA visit is a 90-minute event for a prepared employer and a 6-month investigation for an unprepared one. The difference is six pieces of paper and one habit. Here is exactly what to have ready.
What triggers an HSA visit
- Routine programmed inspection (construction sites are over-represented)
- Complaint from a worker, member of the public, or anonymous report
- Recent incident, near-miss reportable to the HSA
- Insurance company notification after a claim
- Industry-wide enforcement campaign (e.g. fragile roof campaigns each spring)
The six folders the inspector asks for
- Risk assessment for the work at height task, signed and dated
- Method statement describing the controls in detail
- Training records - Working at Heights Certificates for every worker on the task
- Equipment inspection logs - ladders, harnesses, MEWPs, scaffolds, anchors
- PPE issue records - who got what, when, sizes, signatures
- Rescue plan with named rescuers and equipment location
Lock these six in one printed folder kept on site. The visit will not last long if every folder opens with the inspector finding what they expected.
What the inspector physically does
- Identifies themselves - photo ID and a written authority card
- Stops work if they see immediate danger
- Walks the site, notes hazards, photographs anything wrong
- Speaks to workers separately from supervisors (this is normal, not a witch hunt)
- Asks for documents in the order above
- Closing meeting with the employer or site agent
- Issues findings in writing within 14 days
The four notice types and what they mean
- Verbal advice / written advice: minor issue, fix it, no formal record
- Improvement Notice: a specific issue must be fixed by a stated date - typically 14 to 28 days
- Prohibition Notice: stop the activity immediately, until the issue is fixed and re-inspected
- Prosecution: for serious or repeated breaches; the case goes to the District or Circuit Court
Top 10 things HSA inspectors find on Irish sites
- Workers without Working at Heights Certificates - or expired certificates
- Out-of-date scafftags on tower scaffolds
- Stepladders being used as work platforms for tasks over 30 minutes
- No edge protection on flat roof maintenance access
- MEWP daily inspection log empty or not present
- Harnesses stored in a Transit van under tools
- Anchor points that are not EN 795 (handrails, vent pipes, soil stacks)
- No rescue plan or no on-site rescue equipment
- Fragile rooflight on a flat roof with no permit-to-work
- Risk assessment that is generic and not site-specific
Every single one of these is fixable in less than a week. Most are fixable in an hour and a 35-euro online course.
The 30-minute pre-inspection self-audit
Walk the site with a clipboard:
- Pick three workers at random. Ask for their Working at Heights Certificate. In date?
- Open one harness. Inspection date in date? Webbing intact?
- Find the nearest scafftag. Date? Signature? Green or red?
- Ask any worker: where is the rescue device, who is the rescuer, what is the access Eircode?
- Open the H&S folder. Risk assessment for today's task on top? Signed and dated?
If any of these fail, you have your morning fix list.
What to say (and not say)
Be honest, be brief, be cooperative. The HSA inspector is not your enemy; they are looking for evidence of a system. Things to do:
- Greet, offer a hi-vis, walk them through the site personally
- Show them the H&S folder before they ask
- If something is wrong, acknowledge it and explain the corrective plan
Things to avoid:
- Arguing with workers in front of the inspector
- "That is the sub-contractor's problem" - the main contractor is liable too
- Producing an undated, unsigned risk assessment ("we just have not got round to signing it") - this is treated as no risk assessment at all
The training piece
Every Working at Heights worker on site needs an in-date Working at Heights Certificate. The fastest way to fix gaps is to send the link tonight: Working at Heights Course online, 45 minutes, instant download. Volume rates for a full crew on the team training page.
FAQs
Can the HSA visit a domestic dwelling?
Yes if work is being carried out by employees or contractors. Domestic householders are exempt; their contractors are not.
Do I have to let the inspector on site?
Refusal is itself an offence. Cooperate fully. The inspector is empowered by Section 64 of the SHWW Act.
What if the inspector finds something I genuinely cannot fix in 14 days?
Speak to the inspector at the closing meeting. Reasonable timelines are accepted if you have a documented plan and can show interim controls.
Close the gap before the inspector finds it. Start the Working at Heights Course online for the whole team tonight, certificates in your folder by morning.
