HSE announce H&S advice fees
From April 6, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) plans to charge companies £124 an hour for any advice it gives following the discovery of a material breach during a site inspection, and the clock will start ticking the moment an improvement or enforcement notice is served or an email or letter sent.
The plans will exclude local authorities from the charges and it’s understood that self-employed sub-contractors will also be exempt.
The Health and Safety (Fees) Regulation 2012 will allow the HSE to recover any costs incurred following the discovery of health and safety breaches on site. However, its imminent introduction has been criticised, as it’s not known what impact this could have on small to medium sized business given the tough economy.
