There is a misconception that businesses do not have to pay for a HSE inspection.
But if the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) visit your workplace and find that you are in material breach of health and safety law, you will have to pay for the time it takes to identify what is wrong and to help you put things right.
This is called a fee for intervention (FFI).
However, if the findings reveal that you haven’t broken the law, you won’t be charged for the inspection.
What is a material breach?
A material breach is an issue which an inspector considers serious enough that they need to formally write to the business requiring action to be taken.
If the inspector gives you a notification of contravention (NoC) after their visit, you’ll have to pay a fee.
Where an inspector simply gives you advice, either verbal or written, you won’t have to pay for this advice
Who FFI applies to
FFI applies to dutyholders where HSE is the enforcing authority including employers, self-employed who put others at risk, public and limited companies, general, limited and limited liability partnerships and public bodies.
How much does an FFI cost?
The HSE Fee for Intervention (FFI) hourly rate is currently £183. The total cost to a business varies significantly based on the nature, duration and complexity of the investigation and the size of the company.
Your fee may include time:
- at your business or workplace
- preparing reports
- getting specialist advice
- talking to you after the visit
- talking to your workers
The fee can vary depending on:
- the duration of the original visit
- the time spent helping you put things right
- the time it took to investigate your case
- any time the HSE spends taking action against you
The average cost is around £700 but can be up to £1,500 for cases involving enforcement notices.
Prevention is better than cure
Our liability policies include a health and safety review tailored to the unique risks of each business we insure.
SafeCheck which only takes around an hour, reviews what you are doing well and what needs improving – so that your business can achieve HSE compliance.
Minimise business risk in 4 simple steps
- Documentation review to check that health & safety policies and procedures are up to date
- Sector-specific H&S compliance questions answered
- On-site or online tour of the workplace and activities to identify H&S concerns – and what is being done well
- A useful report including practical guidance on how to minimise business risk and achieve H&S compliance