Quick answer
A WorkSafe inspection usually covers four things: a conversation with a manager and a worker, a walk around the site, a closer look at any task that worries the inspector and a check of the records behind the work. The inspector wants to see whether what you say matches what your people are actually doing. If it doesn't, the outcome can be a directive letter, a notice to fix something by a set date or in serious cases a notice to stop work straight away.
Most businesses meet a WorkSafe inspector only a handful of times and the visit can feel like an exam you didn't know was coming. Shane Strode-Penny spent years on the other side of that clipboard as a WorkSafe inspector and later as a technical specialist for construction. When he came on Health & Safety Unplugged he talked plainly about what inspectors are there to do and what they notice.
This post covers what happens during a WorkSafe inspection, what an inspector looks for, what happens if they find a problem and how to be ready for a visit that may never be announced. We recorded the conversation in 2024 and WorkSafe has restructured since. Where Shane talks about the inside of the regulator I've added what has changed.
What Happens During a WorkSafe Inspection?
WorkSafe calls a site visit an assessment and it's usually planned, although it can also happen without notice after a concern is raised or an incident happens. Construction sites are often visited unannounced because the work changes so quickly. WorkSafe describes four parts to an assessment, set out below.
| Part | What the inspector does |
|---|---|
| Conversation | Explains why they're there, then talks with a manager or owner and with a worker about how risks are identified and managed |
| Observation | Walks the site, takes notes and photos and checks whether what they heard matches what's happening day to day |
| Examination | Looks closer at anything of concern and may ask a worker to show how they do a task, such as operating a machine |
| Documentation | Asks for records that support the work, such as licences, training records or a risk register |
Inspectors have wide powers to do this. Under section 168 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 an inspector can enter any workplace at any reasonable time to inspect, take photos and measurements, make recordings and ask questions. Hindering or obstructing an inspector is an offence under section 179.
What Does a WorkSafe Inspector Look For?
WorkSafe says its assessments focus on worker involvement and the top causes of harm in each sector. Those are the risks most likely to kill or seriously injure someone in your industry and they're where an inspector's attention goes first.
| Sector | Where WorkSafe says it's focusing |
|---|---|
| Construction | Working at height, vehicles and machinery, toxic dusts and fumes such as silica, wood dust, welding fumes and asbestos |
| Manufacturing | Vehicles and machinery, dusts and fumes, hazardous substances |
| Agriculture | Vehicles and machinery, hazardous substances |
| Forestry | Tree felling and breaking out, vehicles and machinery |
Shane's time in WorkSafe's technical team produced a good example of why the risk matters more than the paperwork. A business asked for help getting a man cage on the end of an excavator certified so it could be used on a rock face damaged in an earthquake. The team spent about three weeks working through that with them. What worried Shane was something nobody had mentioned: the cage sat on a single acting quick hitch with a simple switch the operator could knock with his elbow. One knock would have dropped the two people in the cage. Everyone was focused on getting a stamp on the cage and the bigger risk was sitting right underneath it.
He also tells a story about how far good safety documents travel. A man once showed him a document he'd put a lot of work into. Shane told him it was brilliant, he'd thought of everything. The man said it was on version 12. Shane told him it should be on version 178. That's what Shane's own copy had reached when he wrote it for a previous employer years earlier. He told it with a laugh, as someone who believes health and safety knowledge should be shared freely.
Education and Enforcement on the Same Visit
Shane described the role of the regulator as informing and educating as much as enforcing. He used to tell trainee inspectors to always take a piece of guidance with them on a visit. Nobody stays angry for long at someone who walks in and hands them the guidance for their industry before the conversation starts. Some people still called him names, however most calmed down quickly once they realised he was there to help as well as to enforce.
That doesn't mean an inspector is there to be liked. Shane recalled a manager telling him that an inspector who isn't getting complaints isn't pushing hard enough. He saw himself as pragmatic and helpful, while still carrying a notebook that could stop dangerous work on the spot.
What Happens if an Inspector Finds a Problem?
If an inspector finds a risk that isn't being managed, WorkSafe says enforcement may follow. That can be a directive letter or one of the notices set out in the Act.
| Notice | What it means |
|---|---|
| Improvement notice (section 101) | You're breaching the Act or regulations and must fix it by a set date |
| Prohibition notice (section 105) | An activity involves or will involve a serious risk from immediate or imminent exposure to a hazard and must stop until the risk is dealt with |
| Non-disturbance notice (section 108) | The site must be left undisturbed so it can be investigated, usually after a notifiable event |
Inspectors can also issue infringement notices for specified offences and more serious breaches can lead to prosecution. My post on how to respond to a WorkSafe improvement notice covers what to do if you receive one.
Why Many Businesses Never See an Inspector
This is where Shane was most outspoken. A colleague's count at the time put the number of inspectors actually out on the beat well below the headline figure. Warranted staff in technical and management roles were counted alongside the inspectors visiting sites every day. He openly questioned how many people had been hurt because inspectors weren't out there. One engineering business he knows has had three visits after an injury, while the one across the road has been in business for decades and never had one.
Some of that has changed since we recorded. In December 2024 WorkSafe confirmed a restructure that reduced its permanent roles from 704 to 675 while putting an extra $2.7 million a year into growing the inspectorate. In March 2025 it said it would add up to 60 new inspector recruits during that year.
Whether an inspector visits this year or not, your duties are exactly the same. I'd never tie a business's health and safety effort to how busy the regulator is. The work has to be done because people go home to their families at the end of the day, not because someone might check.
How to Prepare for a WorkSafe Inspection
The best preparation is running the business so a visit on any given day would show the same thing. These are the things I'd check.
- Know the top causes of harm in your sector and your own critical risks by name. Be ready to show the controls that matter most for each one.
- Make sure your workers can explain how they do the job safely. The inspector may ask one of them to show how it's done.
- Check that your documents match the work happening today, not the job they were written for or the business they were copied from.
- Have the records an inspector is likely to ask for in one place, such as licences, training records, plant inspections, your risk register and contractor information.
- Keep the WorkSafe guidance for your industry handy and use it. It's what the inspector will be comparing you against.
- Decide who will meet the inspector, who walks the site with them and who's told straight away.
- Know what a notifiable event is and how to report one. Under section 56 it has to be reported to WorkSafe as soon as possible by the fastest possible means.
If you'd like a quick view of where your gaps are before an inspector finds them, the free Compliance Compass Self-Check takes about 20 minutes around a leadership table and gives you an ordered list of what to fix first. My guide to what a critical risk is under the Health and Safety at Work Amendment Act 2026 helps with the first step on the list ahead of the new duties starting on 1 April 2027.
What a Former Inspector Would Change at WorkSafe
Shane's fixes for the regulator came down to more inspectors, better training and backing them with the right gear. He'd like to see 150 to 200 inspectors on the ground and a return to hands-on training, where trainees sit in the machines they'll be inspecting and understand what a dump truck can do before they stand in front of one.
He'd also like WorkSafe to take on harder cases. His point was that case law comes from cases the regulator is prepared to lose as well as win. He also felt the Act has had less testing in court than it needed since 2015. He'd also recruit more inspectors from industry, the old builders, civil workers and engineers who bring life experience with them, then train them up to become the next generation of senior inspectors.
Watch the full conversation with Shane Strode-Penny on Health & Safety Unplugged below.
Frequently Asked Questions About WorkSafe Inspections
What does a WorkSafe inspector look for?
How your business identifies and manages its risks, with a focus on the top causes of harm in your sector. The inspector talks with a manager and a worker, walks the site, looks closer at any task of concern and checks records such as licences, training and the risk register.
Can WorkSafe turn up without notice?
Yes. Most assessments are planned, however inspectors can visit unannounced, particularly on construction sites or after a concern or incident. Section 168 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 lets an inspector enter any workplace at any reasonable time.
Can I refuse to let a WorkSafe inspector onto my site?
For a workplace, no. Inspectors have powers of entry and inspection under section 168 and hindering or obstructing an inspector is an offence under section 179. Entering a home has extra limits under section 169.
What happens after a WorkSafe inspection?
If everything is in order the inspector may leave advice or nothing further. If they find a problem the outcome can be a directive letter, an improvement notice, a prohibition notice or in serious cases further investigation and prosecution.
Can a WorkSafe inspector fine you on the spot?
Inspectors can issue infringement notices for specified offences under the Health and Safety at Work (Infringement Offences and Fees) Regulations 2016.
How often does WorkSafe inspect a business?
There's no set frequency. WorkSafe targets its assessments by sector and risk and also responds to concerns and incidents. Some businesses are visited often and others rarely.
Sources: Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, sections 56, 101, 105, 108, 168, 169 and 179; Health and Safety at Work (Infringement Offences and Fees) Regulations 2016; WorkSafe, Workplace assessments; WorkSafe, organisational change decisions (12 December 2024); WorkSafe, inspector recruitment (17 March 2025); Health & Safety Unplugged, episode with Shane Strode-Penny. This post is general guidance, not legal advice.
About the Author
Matt Jones is the founder of Advanced Safety and a HASANZ-registered health and safety consultant. He's a Professional Member of NZISM and holds a Graduate Diploma in Occupational Safety and Health.
He advises boards, directors and executives on officer due diligence and critical risk under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015. His book Raise the Standard: Why Good Organisations Go Blind and How Leaders Restore Visibility sets out G.A.P.E.™, F.E.E.D.™ and S.A.F.E.T.Y.™, a leadership architecture framework for high-risk organisations.
He created the Compliance Compass audit and hosts the Health & Safety Unplugged podcast.
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Latest update: 13 November 2026
