The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has launched a new cost recovery scheme, with the aim of recovering the costs of inspecting, investigating and taking enforcement action against businesses that break health and safety laws.
Known as Fee for Intervention (FFI), the scheme began to operate on 1st October and will enable the HSE to recover costs where there has been a material breach of health and safety law.
A material breach is where a business or organisation has broken the law and the inspector judges it serious enough to notify them in writing.
The many businesses that comply with their legal obligations will continue to pay nothing.
“It is right that those who fail to meet their legal obligations should pay HSE's costs rather than the public purse having to do so,” said Geoffrey Podger, HSE's Chief Executive.
The HSE believes that FFI will provide a further incentive for businesses to manage health and safety effectively and to operate within the law. It should also help level the playing field between those who comply and those who don't.