HSE Fee For Intervention Charges Explained

Before 2012, if you got a visit from the HSE and something was wrong with your health and safety practices, you may have received written advice, formal caution, or an enforcement notice. And if there was a serious issue, you were at risk of prosecution, which could lead to a hefty fine, and even prison time!.

And that's still the case today. But since 2012, the HSE has also been charging businesses that are in breach of health and safety regulations under the fee for intervention (FFI) programme.

What is a fee for intervention (FFI)?

The fee for intervention (FFI) is how the HSE recovers its costs when it carries out site visits and workplace inspections.

Before the fee for intervention was introduced in 2012, businesses with minor health and safety breaches wouldn't be charged for the time a HSE inspector spent visiting the workplace and providing advice.

But HSE inspectors don't work for free.

So who was paying?

The taxpayer!

And it was considered that it wasn't very fair on taxpayers, when businesses, that are (hopefully) making a profit, are getting free advice at the other end of the deal.

In 2012, the fee for intervention (FFI) was introduced to allow the HSE to recover its costs directly instead.

Now, under FFI, the business pays - but only if it is found to be in material breach of health and safety law. So if something is wrong at your workplace when you get a visit from a HSE inspector, you'll be charged for the time the HSE spends investigating and advising you how to put things right.

23.—(1) Subject to regulation 24, if—

1. a person is contravening or has contravened one or more of the relevant statutory provisions for which the Executive is the enforcing authority; and
2. an inspector is of the opinion that that person is doing so or has done so, and notifies that person in writing of that opinion,

a fee is payable by that person to the Executive for its performance of the functions described in paragraphs (2) and (3).

That's right, anything above verbal advice, and you will get an invoice from the HSE, not only for the time spent on your site during the visit but also for any time spent investigating and writing cautions or notices.

But what are these charges, and when will you be charged?

HSE fee for intervention (FFI) cost

The HSE fee for intervention (FFI) is currently charged at £183 per hour (2025).

The FFI cost has increased from the original £124 in 2012 to £129 in 2016, £154 in 2019, £163 in 2022, £166 in 2023, and £174 in 2024.

Ok, it is pricey, but the inspector should only be on your site for a couple of hours, right?

Wrong!

It's not just the time on the visit that you get invoiced for.

If you are found to be in material breach of health and safety laws (more on that later), you will get charged. And not just for the inspector's time on site, but also for any associated time spent on issuing notices, taking statements, getting specialist support, and follow-up visits.

The average fee for intervention invoice is reported to be around £700, and for enforcement notices, £1,500.

Invoices include time spent:

• Carrying out visits (including all the time spent visiting the workplace during which the material breach was identified)
• Taking statements and talking to workers
• Preparing reports
• Getting specialist support for complex issues
• Talking to you after the visit
• Writing notifications of contravention, improvement or prohibition notices

And those costs add up!

In 2023/24, the HSE invoiced over £15 million in fines to businesses under the fee for intervention, according to the HSE annual report and accounts.

When is a fee for intervention (FFI) invoice issued?

It's worth noting that while HSE inspectors have the power of entry, and they can visit at any time, you won't always be charged under FFI.

You are not always charged the moment the HSE inspector turns up at your workplace.

The HSE still do random inspections, but you are not automatically charged for this.

To carry out their work, HSE inspectors have many legal powers, including the right to enter and inspect your workplace. Find out more about the powers of HSE inspectors.

You will only be charged where the HSE inspector identifies a material breach of the law.

A material breach is where you have broken a health and safety law, and the inspector judges this is serious enough for them to notify you in writing. That's anything serious enough to need a formal caution or enforcement action to make it safe. This will either be a notification of contravention, an improvement or prohibition notice, or a prosecution.

So if you are complying with the law, then you won't have to pay a fee at all.

How can you avoid FFI?

You can't avoid HSE inspections - they can happen randomly. But you can avoid your business being targeted by HSE inspections.

HSE inspections sometimes happen randomly, but they can also happen following a complaint or an accident report. If you make sure you comply with your legal health and safety duties, to provide a safe and healthy workplace, you are less likely to get inspected.

And even if you do get inspected, FFI doesn't need to be a concern. Providing that the HSE inspector is happy with what they find in your workplace, and you have reduced risk as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP), you shouldn't be issued with an invoice after the visit.

This doesn't mean that everything has to be perfect, either. HSE inspectors are still giving verbal advice and help during the inspection free of charge, providing only minor issues are identified.

Can you dispute an FFI invoice?

The FFI scheme was fairly controversial when it was introduced back in 2012, no doubt about it. But over 10 years later, it looks like it is here to stay. So even if you disagree with the concept, it's the law.

The thinking behind FFI is that the HSE is an enforcing authority. It's needed to enforce the health and safety laws where they are not being complied with and to protect workers from unsafe workplaces. So, it makes sense that those who are breaking the rules pay for the enforcement action required.

But not everything is black and white in health and safety. Health and safety regulations are less prescriptive rules and often put the responsibility onto employers to manage risk. This might mean that your interpretation of the requirements differs from the HSE inspectors.

If you don't agree with a fee for intervention invoice, you should start by querying it with the HSE. If you're not happy with the HSE's response to the query, you can dispute the invoice within 21 days of the response.

If you do decide to dispute an FFI invoice, your dispute goes to an independent HSE panel. But disputing the invoice comes with its own risks. If the dispute doesn't go in your favour, more time means additional fees!

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Find out more about the legal health and safety responsibilities of employers.