HSE cost recovery webinar draws high interest
13 February 2012
Presentations on the HSE’s imminent Fee For
Intervention (FFI) scheme created high levels of interest at a
recent online seminar, ‘A penny for your faults’, hosted by the
IOSH Retail and Distribution group.
Event chair Rob Belton, Sainsbury’s
liaison regulatory manager, and a panel comprising HSE
director of special projects Gordon MacDonald, Chartered Institute
of Environmental Health principal policy
officer Andrew Griffiths and Home Retail Group head of
safety Abby Miller presented and shared their
views on the HSE’s new cost recovery scheme, on 7
February.
FFI, also known as 'cost recovery principle', was developed
after the announcement of the Department for Work and Pensions’
Good Health and Safety, Good for Everyone policy in March
2011.
Its introduction falls under 'The new
Health and Safety Framework', part of the Government’s review,
which calls for reforms to Britain’s health and safety landscape
and culture.
Due to come into effect on 6 April, FFI will be implemented on
UK businesses whose material breaches of law require a formal
regulatory intervention, but will not affect businesses that
comply.
While preparations are underway, the free lunch-time webinar,
attended by more than 130 people, aimed to offer a platform for
attendees to raise their concerns, and address the scheme’s
context, key features, objectives, likely outcomes and implications
for businesses.
Panellists spoke of the change as a transfer of “the
burden of the regulator rectifying breaches from
the taxpayer to the firms creating the breaches”.
Its positive aspects were noted as the incentive for businesses to
meet their obligations and the provision of a more “balanced”
playing field for those who do comply, thus encouraging “fairness”
and objective competition.
However, there was criticism on its impact on the HSE’s existing
relations with UK businesses, on its likely reach to other
regulators, and on the dispute process, raising questions on
businesses’ ability to contest invoices.
A recording of the webinar can be still accessed
free online.