SECTION GUIDE
Fee for Intervention (FFI) is a cost recovery scheme run by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). If an inspector identifies a material breach of health and safety law during an inspection, the business must pay for the time the HSE spends investigating and enforcing compliance.
In simple terms: if your business is found to be in serious breach of health and safety law, you pay for the regulator’s time to put it right.
Introduced in October 2012 under the Health and Safety (Fees) Regulations 2012, FFI allows the HSE to recover costs from dutyholders who are not meeting their legal obligations.
Key points to understand:
A material breach is more than a minor issue, it’s something serious enough to require written notice or enforcement action.
Common examples include:
FFI is only charged in specific circumstances. You will not be charged if:
This means proactive compliance can completely eliminate the risk of FFI charges.
FFI is enforced by the Health and Safety Executive.
However, it’s important to note:
The current rate is over £160 per hour, but the total cost depends on how much time the HSE spends on the case.
Typical scenarios:
FFI isn’t a fixed fine, it’s a rolling cost based on time spent. The longer it takes to resolve the issue, the more you pay, which is why addressing problems quickly (or preventing them entirely) makes a real financial difference.
It’s important not to confuse FFI with legal penalties:
FFI often acts as an early warning sign before more serious enforcement action.
FFI and fines are not mutually exclusive — they can form part of a wider enforcement journey:
This is why FFI is often seen as an early warning sign. It signals that something is wrong before the situation escalates into legal action.
Failing to meet health and safety standards can have both financial and operational consequences:
On the other hand, a proactive approach can help you:
Fee for Intervention
To reduce the risk of FFI charges:
A proactive compliance review can identify issues early, helping you avoid both FFI costs and more serious enforcement action.
Your Questions Answered
Fee for Intervention applies when an HSE inspector identifies a material breach that requires formal enforcement action.
The rate is over £160 per hour, with no maximum cap. Costs depend on how long the HSE spends on the case.
Yes. You can query or dispute the invoice through the HSE’s formal process, although fees may still apply if unsuccessful.
By ensuring your business is fully compliant with UK health and safety legislation before any inspection takes place. impact HR can help you identify risks, strengthen compliance, and reduce the chance of Fee for intervention and other enforcement action, before it becomes a cost for your business.
FFI changes begin from the point the Health and Safety Executive identifies a material breach. This includes time spent during the inspection and any follow-up work required to address the issue.
A material breach is something which an inspector considers serious enough that they need to formally write to the business requiring action to taken to deal with the material breach.
Fee for intervention charges are entirely avoidable with the right support in place.
If you’re unsure whether your health and safety processes would stand up to inspection, now is the time to act.
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