The HSE are starting the year by making targeted visits to specific industries. These inspections are aimed at helping employers (the duty holders) better understand the requirements of the legislation and ensuring that they are providing sufficient safeguards.
Chiropractors
In the first quarter of 2026, HSE will be sending out inspectors to check whether chiropractors are compliant with the Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 (IRR17). Running until the end of March 2026, the inspection campaign is aimed at chiropractors who use radiation generators.
Any employer whose staff are using radiation generators must be registered with HSE through the online RADAN system.
HSE has created a video outlining the expectations of the visit and the areas inspectors will be assessing compliance on.
The HSE’s Approved Code of Practice and guidance for working with ionising radiation is also available and free to download online.
Bakeries
Larger bakeries will be inspected across Britain from January 2026 to check that workers are being protected sufficiently when it comes to baking ingredients that are dusts. Exposure to such can lead to occupational asthma – flour dust is the most common cause in Great Britain. Other dusts also cause respiratory sensitisation, which often becomes an irreversible condition with the smallest amounts triggering another attack.
This hazard can be compounded as these dusts can linger in the breathable atmosphere, which can make common tasks in the industry, such as dusting flour to handle dough, tipping and or dispensing dry ingredients, or clearing up spills of flour, high-risk activities.
HSE will be looking for compliance with the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations, such as:
- Dusty processes are eliminated, for example, using sensors to stop flour dusters when product is not present.
- Dusty ingredients have been substituted, for example, using low-dust flour or liquid / gel-based ingredients.
- Engineering controls, such as LEV, are in use
- Respiratory protective equipment is in use as a last resort
Inspectors will also be checking that employers have health surveillance in place for workers exposed to dusty ingredients.
HSE has seen the benefits of the correct application of the hierarchy of controls in previous inspections, when a large bakery transformed its approach. The company assessed its use of flour nationally and trialled low-dust flours and dust suppressants, which dramatically reduced dust exposure and the risk to workers.
By eliminating and substituting flour in the first instance, the company was able to implement fewer mechanical controls and reduce the time and cost needed to extract dust from the atmosphere.
Low-dust flour is now an established standard, and the Federation of Bakers’ Blue Book provides industry-specific guidance on dust control and health surveillance. Employers are encouraged to review these resources and ensure their control measures meet required standards.
HSE has available guidance on controlling flour dust in bakeries.