New date for HSE cost-recovery scheme

Introduction of Fee for Intervention scheme delayed as discussions continue over technical details

THE Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has announced that its cost-recovery scheme, Fee for Intervention (FFI), is still going ahead but will now not start in April 2012 as originally envisaged.

The scheme sets out to recover costs from those who break health and safety laws for the time and effort the HSE spends on helping to put matters right, ie investigating and taking enforcement action. Law-abiding businesses will be free from costs and will not pay a penny.

HSE programme director Gordon MacDonald said: ‘The Government has agreed that it is right that those who break the law should pay their fair share of the costs to put things right, and not the public purse.

‘The Government intends to proceed with the FFI scheme as recommended to ministers by the HSE’s board in December in response to the formal consultation that took place last summer.

‘Discussions are still taking place on the technical details of the scheme, which we expect to conclude soon. Therefore, FFI will not be introduced in April but at the next available opportunity, which is likely to be October 2012.’

The HSE says it will take advantage of the extra time to work further with businesses to improve their understanding of the scheme and how it will affect them. Detailed guidance for employers and organizations will be available on the HSE website ahead of implementation.