The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 gives the power to issue prohibition notices. Prohibition notices will be issued in one or more of the following circumstances:

• the consequences of not taking immediate and decisive action to protect health and safety will be unacceptable;
• an imminent risk of injury to health can be demonstrated;
• there is no confidence in the integrity of an unprompted offer made by a business voluntarily to close premises or cease the use of any equipment, process or working practice;
• a business is unwilling to confirm in writing its unprompted offer of a voluntary prohibition.