The Health and Safety Executive launched its Fee for Intervention scheme last October to recover costs from companies caught breaking the law.

A Freedom of Information request by law firm DWF revealed that 373 construction sites have been visited under the scheme between October 1 and November 30 2012.

Construction made up more than a third of the 903 visits which could result in a “Notification of Contravention.”

Steffan Groch, DWF regulatory partner, said: “There appears to have been a particular focus on construction.

“It’s difficult to say why this is, but it could be due to the sector being an easy target for inspectors, or because greater clarity is needed around the legal obligations of the construction sector.

“Whatever the cause, operators in the construction sector should be aware.

“Anyone receiving an FFI invoice will have 21 days from receipt in which to query it, should they believe they weren’t in material breach of the law or the time the fee is charged for is incorrect.

If they remain unhappy after the HSE’s response they will then have a further 21 days in which to lodge a dispute.

“With the resulting FFI invoices not due to be published until the end of this month, we will have to wait and see how many Notices of Contravention will be issued, and how many appeals result.”