HSE Focus in 2026 – What employers should be preparing for
Following our previous blog reviewing the Health and Safety Executive stats for 24/25 we are now looking at the significant changes coming in 2026.
The HSE wants to move away from reactive health, safety and environmental systems, which it believes are failing workers. Instead, the emphasis for 2026 will be on building resilience into the management of workplace hazards, demonstrating leadership, governance and a preventative safety culture.
Recent accident statistics reinforce why this shift is necessary. Work-related ill health continues to affect nearly two million workers in Great Britain each year, while millions of working days are lost due to injury and illness.
These figures demonstrate that traditional safety controls alone are no longer sufficient and that employers must adopt a more preventative and holistic approach.
One of the main changes is the definition of what constitutes as a workplace safety risk. Hazards are no longer just physical threats such as machinery or working at heights, employers must now address broader factors that affect workers health and wellbeing.
Key trends going forward will include:
Mental health
Issues such as work-related stress, anxiety and depression are the leading cause of lost working days, and employers are expected to manage this foreseeable risk.
They must ensure that risk assessments are equipped to identify potential hazards such as excessive workloads, long hours, lack of support and poor company culture. They are also expected to be able to identify early warning signs and respond appropriately.
For employers, this means embedding mental health considerations into existing health and safety processed, rather than treating them as HR issues.
Ageing workforce
Recently, there has been a demographic shift within the workforce. With more people working later in life, the increasing number of employees aged over 50 necessitates adaption of workstations and tasks.
Older employers can be more susceptible to fatigue, slower recovery and other accidents. This means that work design and risk assessment must account for different physical needs.
Physical measures such as ergonomic adjustments, revised manual handling practices and flexible task allocation must now become key considerations for any employer.
Technology and AI
There will be scrutiny of AI, robotics, drones and wearable technologies as there are worries surrounding safe human-machine interactions, privacy and ethics.
These tools are increasingly being used across almost all sectors to improve automation and efficiency. However, they raise important safety concerns, including safe interaction between system and users, reliability of AI driven decision making, and monitoring privacy.
The HSE is expected to review how organisations can manage these risks and what kind of training, safeguards and oversight will be put in place.
Environmental safety
With extreme weather events becoming more common, employers are expected to consider how environmental conditions can affect employee safety.
There are an increasing number of risks that controls will need to be accounted for, such as heat stress management for outdoor workers, and flood preparedness and emergency planning.
This represents a shift towards integrating environmental resilience into occupational safety management.
Enforcement and compliance implications
The HSE will continue high enforcement levels. Companies should ensure that their risk assessments encompass mental health, climate risks, ageing workforce, and technological risks.
At Aegis, we are committed to helping businesses create safer, healthier environments for their teams. Contact us today to learn more about our comprehensive health and safety services and how we can support your organisation in meeting its health and safety responsibilities in 2026 and beyond.