Proposed regulations that could force small businesses to pay for their own health and safety inspections have been criticised by the Forum of Private Business (FPB). The new ‘Fee for Intervention’ (FFI), due to come into effect from 1 October 2012, will allow the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to recover its costs for carrying out inspections from businesses found to be in breach of health and safety law.
The FPB has called the proposals ‘unfair’, particularly for smaller businesses, with concerns that the practice could lead to a ‘heavy-handed’ and ‘inconsistent’ approach by HSE inspectors in their drive to recover money.
