Comply with Health & Safety Regulations

New legislation, effective as of October 2012, was introduced after the department’s annual budget was the victim of dramatic Government cuts. After having its budget slashed by 35%, the HSE announced a Government imposed legal duty for the department to recover costs from non compliant businesses.

Businesses which breach Health & Safety regulations will be charged an hourly rate of £124 by the HSE for time spent investigating their case. This could result in a bill of £750 for an inspection which results in an email or letter, or £1,500 for an inspection which results in a notice being issued. It is estimated that a company which undergoes a full investigation could be charged tens of thousands of pounds.

This makes it more important than ever to ensure that your company observes up to date health and safety regulations.

While more of the HSE’s time was previously dedicated to helping businesses to improve and comply, much of this time will now be dedicated to rooting out the businesses which don’t. Businesses which require help and advice concerning health and safety compliance must now seek help from trusted experts in Health & Safety compliance.

Alastair Hall, Head of Health & Safety at compliance specialists Citation PLC, believes companies may be at greater risk of a financial outlay than they believe. He said: “We find an average of 28 contraventions on a first health & safety visit to a new client, regardless of whether they already have systems in place.

“When you consider this with how the HSE has calculated its costs, there is a significant financial risk, which many businesses will already be exposed to without even knowing it”.

As a compliance provider, companies like Citation PLC, can ensure that a business’s risk assessments are carried out and all Health & Safety documentation is up to date. Significantly, if a Citation client falls foul of the HSE because of advice received from Citation, the compliance experts will pick up the tab.

This advice guarantee is unique in the industry, and is just one of the reasons that Citation were presented with a Queen’s award for Enterprise, in the innovation category

As the UK’s leading Health & Safety compliance consultancy, Citation PLC can provide the answers that you need, on the HSE FFI scheme or any other aspect of Health & Safety legislation.