Firesafety101 The circumstances you describe are curious. Was your client certain that the site visitor was an inspector from HSE and/or that he found no problems warranting any charge under FFI? Unless HSE's arrangements have changed in recent years, each of its inspectors is issued with a warrant which includes his/her name plus 'mugshot' photo and states that they have been appointed as an inspector under the 1974 HSW Act and has authority to enforce that Act and related OS&H legislation. Furthermore, they should produce their warrant if requested to do so while at work. These aspects were impressed on me and other trainee inspectors after we joined HSE in the late 1970s. However, I was surprised at how infrequently I was asked to show my warrant during my years with HSE. Also I recall that when I left HSE my warrant was the priority item to be returned to HSE. In addition, it's good practice though not obligatory for HSE inspectors to carry some visiting cards with their name, designation and contact details. Some inspectors routinely proffer them to the managers, supervisors and employee reps they meet while others only produce them if asked. Perhaps your client or someone on the site was given/asked for a card which could be used to contact the inspector and ask about the alleged bill. Therefore, it seems appropriate for employers to advise line managers, and also employees who work without supervision either peripatetically or on small sites, to ask for proof of authority and certainly a visiting card from unknown persons who arrive and say they are inspectors. Anyone who quibbles about being asked is either i) a real inspector who is being pompous/officious and/or embarrassed at forgetting to bring his/her warrant or ii) someone simply posing as an inspector and thus committing a criminal offence. The above advice about HSE inspectors probably also applies to persons who say they are officers/inspectors from other enforcement organisations. It's certainly the case for police officers judging from an amiable discussion I had with an officer who arrived to check that no riots were occurring at a polling station I was running last November for the election of a police & crime commissioner. I commented that though he seemed genuine with his uniform, radio, baton and handcuffs, etc., I was curious to know if he carried any formal means of identification. Without hesitation he produced a genuine looking warrant card signed by his chief constable and added that every uniformed and plain-clothed officer carried one. It's appropriate to add that for some circumstances, considerable discretion is advisable regarding interactions with officials. For example, as previously mentioned on this forum, when arrested at gunpoint during 1979, my fellow arrestees and I didn't think to ask for any identification - the guns and uniforms of the men arresting us were sufficiently persuasive to get our full and immediate co-operation!!!

I thought that the HSE could only charge if the inspector found a significant breach of the HSE regulations. This breach would have to be described in any letter or Improvement Notice. If this is not the case then I would immediately contact the HSE office from which the invoice was issued to check that this is genuine. I think that the HSE would take a dim view of an inspector not having pointed out to you during his/her visit the breach for which the charge was being made. Chris