Automate HSE safety alerts into WhatsApp and Teams: set-up, scripts and a tidy audit trail featured image
Compliance & Safety

Automate HSE safety alerts into WhatsApp and Teams: set-up, scripts and a tidy audit trail

TrainAR Team 4 months ago 5 min read
Microsoft Teams Toolbox Talks Automations Power Automate HSE WhatsApp

Jump To...

Laptop showing an HSE safety alert alongside Teams and WhatsApp icons in a UK site office scene

Quick answer

Subscribe to the HSE Safety alerts and notices eBulletin, route the emails into a shared mailbox, then use Microsoft Power Automate to push each new alert into a Teams channel (and optionally a WhatsApp group via a connector). Store the original email and a PDF of the post in SharePoint for your audit trail and apply automatic retention.

Who this is for

  • Site managers and QSs who need safety alerts in front of crews fast.
  • SME contractors that already use Microsoft 365/Teams.
  • Anyone who wants a clean, searchable record for audits without extra admin.

How it works

At a glance:

  1. HSE publishes a new Safety alert or notice. The eBulletin email lands in your shared mailbox.
  2. Power Automate flow triggers on those emails, saves the message and links, and posts a summary to a chosen Teams channel.
  3. Optionally, the flow also relays the alert to a WhatsApp group for on-the-go crews.
  4. SharePoint keeps the originals with retention, giving you a tidy audit trail.

Flowchart: HSE email to Power Automate, then into Teams and WhatsApp

Step-by-step: Microsoft 365 and Power Automate

What you need

  • A Microsoft 365 tenant with Exchange Online, SharePoint and Teams.
  • A shared mailbox such as hse-alerts@yourcompany.co.uk.
  • Power Automate licensing (most business plans include standard connectors).

Set up the inputs

  1. Subscribe the shared mailbox to the HSE Safety alerts and notices eBulletin on the HSE site: https://www.hse.gov.uk/news/subscribe/index.htm. Choose Safety alerts and notices.
  2. In Outlook, create a rule that moves emails where From contains “news@public.govdelivery.com” and Subject contains “HSE Safety alert” or “HSE Safety notice” into a folder called HSE Alerts.

Build the flow

  • Trigger: “When a new email arrives in a shared mailbox (V3)”. Scope the Folder to /HSE Alerts.
  • Condition: Subject contains “HSE Safety alert” OR “HSE Safety notice”.
  • Actions:
  • Save original .eml to SharePoint: /Safety/HSE Alerts/YYYY/MM/Subject.eml
  • Convert body to HTML and create a clean PDF snapshot using “Convert file” (OneDrive for Business) and save alongside the .eml
  • Extract title, date and the HSE page URL from the email body
  • Post an Adaptive Card to Teams with: title, one-sentence summary, “View on HSE” button (link), and “View PDF snapshot” (SharePoint link)
  • Add a Planner task “Review HSE alert” in your Safety board, assigned to the H&S lead, due in 2 days

Example Teams post text

“New HSE Safety alert: []\nSummary: <one line>\nLinks: View on HSE, PDF snapshot, Original email”</p> <p>Tip: Use channel moderation so only the flow can post. It keeps the alerts list clean.</p> <h2 id="forward-to-whatsapp">Optional: forward into WhatsApp</h2> <p>Two lightweight options:</p> <p>A) WhatsApp Business via a shared inbox tool</p> <ul> <li><svg class="lucide lucide-shield-check inline-block h-5 w-5 shrink-0 -mt-0.5 mr-1 text-emerald-600" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" > <path d="M20 13c0 5-3.5 7.5-7.66 8.95a1 1 0 0 1-.67-.01C7.5 20.5 4 18 4 13V6a1 1 0 0 1 1-1c2 0 4.5-1.2 6.24-2.72a1.17 1.17 0 0 1 1.52 0C14.51 3.81 17 5 19 5a1 1 0 0 1 1 1z" /> <path d="m9 12 2 2 4-4" /> </svg> If you already run a shared WhatsApp Business inbox (see: <a href="https://academy.trainar.ai/set-up-a-shared-whatsapp-business-inbox-for-a-small-trade-team-free-and-paid-options">Set up a shared WhatsApp Business inbox for a small trade team (free and paid options)</a>), use its email-to-WhatsApp or webhook to relay the Teams summary into a crew group. Include the HSE link and your site-specific instruction.</li> </ul> <p>B) Third-party gateway with Power Automate</p> <ul> <li><svg class="lucide lucide-wrench inline-block h-5 w-5 shrink-0 -mt-0.5 mr-1 text-slate-500" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" > <path d="M14.7 6.3a1 1 0 0 0 0 1.4l1.6 1.6a1 1 0 0 0 1.4 0l3.106-3.105c.32-.322.863-.22.983.218a6 6 0 0 1-8.259 7.057l-7.91 7.91a1 1 0 0 1-2.999-3l7.91-7.91a6 6 0 0 1 7.057-8.259c.438.12.54.662.219.984z" /> </svg> Use a verified WhatsApp Business API provider that has a Power Automate connector or webhook. Post a short message like:</li> </ul> <p>“HSE Safety alert: <title>. Read: <HSE link>. Action: all supervisors review at next toolbox talk.”</p> <p>Note: Follow your PECR/consent rules for messaging workers. Keep it purely operational.</p> <h2 id="compliance">Keep it compliant: retention, PECR and audit trail</h2> <ul> <li><svg class="lucide lucide-file-text inline-block h-5 w-5 shrink-0 -mt-0.5 mr-1 text-slate-500" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" > <path d="M15 2H6a2 2 0 0 0-2 2v16a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h12a2 2 0 0 0 2-2V7Z" /> <path d="M14 2v4a2 2 0 0 0 2 2h4" /> <path d="M10 9H8" /> <path d="M16 13H8" /> <path d="M16 17H8" /> </svg> Evidence: Preserve the .eml and PDF snapshot in SharePoint with a retention label (for example, 3–5 years depending on your policy).</li> <li><svg class="inline-block h-5 w-5 shrink-0 -mt-0.5 mr-1 text-orange-600" fill="currentColor" role="img" viewBox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><title>Reddit PECR/GDPR: Safety alerts sent to staff phones must be necessary for work and expected. Stick to operational content. See the ICO guidance on direct marketing and employee communications.

  • Version risk: Always link back to the live HSE page in Teams so crews view the most current advice. Use PDF snapshots only as evidence of what you received at the time.

    • Useful HSE pages

    Troubleshooting

    • No emails arriving: Subscribe again and check the shared mailbox can receive external email. Some tenants block external mail to shared mailboxes.
    • Flow not triggering: Ensure the Outlook trigger points to the right folder in the shared mailbox, not your own inbox.
    • Broken links: HSE sometimes updates pages. Keep the “View on HSE” button in Teams as the source of truth, and treat the PDF as evidence only.
    • Teams card fails: If Adaptive Cards fail due to permissions, use “Post message in a chat or channel” as a fallback.

    FAQ

    Ready to Transform Your Business?

    Turn every engineer into your best engineer and solve recruitment bottlenecks

    Join the TrainAR Waitlist
    comments powered by Disqus