HSE data obtained through a Freedom of Information request shows recorded fire safety breaches on construction sites fell by around a third between 2023/24 and 2024/25 (from 536 to 361), with enforcement notices down from 92 to 50 – yet non-fatal injuries from fire or explosion barely changed. Enforcement statistics capture only what the regulator finds and responds to, so fewer enforcement actions do not, on their own, establish that sites are any safer. The benchmark for a business shouldn’t be how often the regulator takes action, but whether its own arrangements would withstand scrutiny. In the event of less external inspections, checking your own compliance matters more, not less. The legal duties and personal liability remain unchanged.
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