FFI will Fine Businesses Breaking the Law
With recent advice for testing in low risk environments and the expected fourth edition of the IET Code of Practice, there seems to be an air of change and review in the air. HSE are no exception and have joined in, also announcing changes.
Called the Fee for Intervention (FFI), the new scheme aims to recover costs for accident investigations and enforcement actions conducted by the HSE regarding the Electricity at Work Regulations.
This new FFI, which came into force on the first of October this year, will be issued when the following factors occur:
- An inspector finds a health and safety departure from the law
- An inspector decides this departure is serious enough for written notification
- An inspector notifies the person concerned of their opinion in writing through a prosecution, etc.
The result of this new law means that any company breaking the Electricity at Work Regulations will not know the final bill they will be presented with until the case has been completed.
This could mean that any company breaking the law would have a considerably high bill to pay alongside any penalties given out.
The threat of this alongside prosecution should help business owners realise the importance of complying with the regulations.
Written by Sara Thomson
