Courts are handing out harsher penalties for health and safety breaches since the introduction of the Health and Safety (Offences) Act 2008, a review by the HSE has found.
The aim of the Act was to raise the maximum penalties available to the courts for some offences by altering the penalty framework set out in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HSW) Act. Key review findings include:
- An increase of 60 per cent in the average fine for cases involving breaches of health and safety regulations alone, from £4,577 to £7,310
- For cases involving a combination of breaches of regulations and the HSW Act, an increase of 25 per cent, from £13,334 to £16,730
- A rise in the proportion of cases heard in the higher courts leading to custodial sentences or equivalent (suspended sentence or community service) from four per cent pre-Act to 18 per cent
Source IIRSM