What action can inspectors take if they encounter resistance during an inspection?

When inspectors encounter resistance during an inspection, they have the authority to request police assistance for entry. This is a key aspect of ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations. In situations where an inspector is denied access to a site, involving law enforcement serves to reinforce the importance of compliance with legal requirements and ensures that the inspector can properly carry out their duties.

Requesting police assistance is a step taken to uphold the law. Health and safety inspectors operate under specific legal frameworks that grant them the right to access workplaces to ensure safety regulations are being followed. If there is strong resistance that jeopardizes this right, police intervention can help facilitate lawful entry to the premises.

The other options, while they may seem reasonable in certain contexts, do not align with the authority and responsibilities of inspectors. Seeking assistance from local businesses does not address the immediate need for access, ignoring the situation completely undermines the inspection process, and conducting inspections remotely lacks the thoroughness and effectiveness required for compliance checks.