The first bills landed on contractors last week under the Fee for Intervention scheme designed to recover costs from companies caught breaking the law.

Documents seen by the Enquirer confirm that the HSE has now invoiced £727, 644.81 for site visits during the first two months of the scheme starting last October.

Inspectors are charging their time out at £124-an-hour with the average bill coming in at £513.

The £727 644.81 figure relates to bills across all industries resulting from 1,418 notices issued during the period.

But a Freedom of Information request earlier this year revealed that construction accounted for more than a third of visits under the scheme.

Gordon MacDonald, HSE’s programme director, said: “It is right that those who break the law should pay their fair share of the costs to put things right – and not the public purse.

“Firms who manage workplace risks properly will not pay.”