Posted By George Wedgwood Gill, a lot depends on the level of competency you are bringing to the party! If you are part of or exist as a self employed person, you clearly need to be able to finance the overheads as well as pay yourself a reasonable income. For an IOSH RSP, those fees could and do vary from 200 per day up to 600 per day for very detailed specialist work by someone who is widely regarded as a 'expert'. If, however, you are simply earning a 'bit on the side', then you can charge in a similar way but the overheads will be much less. Possibly around £250 a day for RSP work may work but I have to say there are still a lot of SMEs out there that just will not pay that for ordinary routine work unless they are being prosecuted. Think in terms of what you need to earn sufficient income, then add reasonable overheads and see what that comes out per annum, compared with what employers are offering (large company group professionals get about £150 - 180 per day equivalent) - but they get that every day! A consultant will be doing very well if they make a 70% recovery rate on their total time so you need to factor that in also, putting up the day-rate. my view is negotiate well and be happy with what you end up with. But don't feel 'used' or your morale will fall. Better to walk away from the job that compromise your professionalism! I hope this helps. Regards, George Wedgwood FIOSH RSP

Posted By Geoff Burt Gill - when I first saw your question my thoughts were 'how long is a piece of string' - I still occasionally get it wrong 7 years on - but George provided an excellent response. The only thing I would add is that you must ensure you have PI cover, whether you charge or do it for free, otherwise you are leaving yourself wide open. Geoff