The HSE Can Visit at Any Time

The Health and Safety Executive doesn't need an appointment. An inspector can turn up at your brewery unannounced, at any time, and walk around looking at everything. They can talk to your staff. They can examine your records. They can look at your chemical storage, your electrical installations, your ventilation, your lifting procedures.

If they find something wrong, they can issue an improvement notice — which means you're legally required to draw up a plan to fix the problem within a specified timeframe, at your own expense. If the risk is serious enough, they can issue a prohibition notice, shutting down part or all of your operation until the hazard is resolved.

And if something really bad happens — a serious injury, a dangerous occurrence — they can prosecute. Health and safety prosecutions carry unlimited fines, and in the most serious cases, prison sentences for individuals. "I didn't know" is not a defence. "I couldn't afford to fix it" is not a defence. You are responsible.