Joiners reminded to stay compliant as HSE receives millions from manufacturers through inspection fees.

BWF members are reminded to stay compliant with Health and Safety law after statistics revealed that HSE had been receiving millions of pounds in revenue from manufacturing businesses through the controversial Fee For Intervention (FFI) scheme.

Under the Health and Safety (Fees) Regulations 2012, which came into effect in October last year, HSE have been charging intervention costs at £124 per hour if a breach in Health & Safety law is during an inspection visit. The total amount to be recovered has been based on the amount of time it takes HSE to identify and conclude its regulatory action, in relation to the breach.

Statistics gathered from HSE and released earlier this Summer indicated that 5766 invoices had been raised up to April 2013, with an average cost of £464 per invoice. This means that £2,673,773 has been brought in during the first 6 months of the scheme.

The visit programme is targeting ‘higher risk’ sectors such as woodworking, so BWF members are urged to ensure that they have all their Health & Safety precautions in place, including appropriate guarding on the machinery, PPE, regular LEV testing (including spray booths & Portable systems for use on power hand tools), and full risk assessments. It is thought that almost one third of inspections have resulted in a fee being charged.

The invoices cover HSE’s related costs, including inspection, investigation and taking enforcement action. Construction and manufacturing companies having borne the brunt of the intervention costs invoiced – 27% and 42% of the total invoiced costs respectively.

The FFI scheme has proven controversial, with concerns having been raised that HSEs priorities would be distorted by the revenue generation of the scheme, the financial impact was excessive, and that the trigger for an intervention was unclear.

Stakeholders have also argued that the relationship between HSE and business might become adversarial. The statistics revealed a small number of incidents reported where inspectors have felt threatened as a result of their FFI obligations.

A further report will be available later this year to cover the first 12 months of operation of the scheme.

BWF members are urged to report back if they have any concerns over any aspect of the FFI  scheme or need clarification on what they are required to do. HSE are keen to clamp down on any commercial operations that might appear to be exploiting the scheme, for example insurance providers adding costly obligations. BWF has been liaising with the HSE inspectorate and we will be able to feed any information or concerns we get from members straight through to the HSE if required.

Those who are concerned that they are unprepared for an inspection visit are reminded that they can access comprehensive support from the BWF ‘Toolkit’, which includes our Health & Safety member helpline and publications on what the inspectors are looking for including HSE Field Operations Directorate Guidance for proactive inspections, and the Health and Safety essentials checklist.

There is also free-to-members guide on Health & Safety in the woodworking industry and documents such as Machine Safety Cards, sample inspection forms, and sample risk assessments.

Additionally you may wish to undertake a Health & Safety Audit that will not only suggest where your health and safety needs to be improved, but also how to achieve it. The BWF has negotiated exclusive rates with experienced health & safety advisors for a simple value for money package.