Penalties
If someone is killed, injured, made ill or put at serious risk at work someone should be held responsible. Safety penalties both punish those who show a criminal disregard for your health and safety and are a deterrent message to employers.
Too few dangerous employers are prosecuted and penalties are much too low. The Health and Safety Executive reported the average fine for all health and safety cases in 2002/2003 fell by 21 per cent from £11,141 in 2001/2002 to £8,828 in 2002/2003.
In 2002, 57 people were jailed for animal cruelty. In all history only a handful of dangerous employers have been jailed for safety offences. Yet each year hundreds die, thousands develop deadly occupational diseases and hundreds of thousands are injured.
After years of pushing by TUC and union campaigners HSE established in 1999 a public register of the health and safety prosecutions it has taken which resulted in a conviction.
TUC is campaigning for penalties that fit the crime. It is arguing for larger fines and for a corporate killing law with penalties including jail time for the most serious offences.
TUC also wants the introduction of new, more innovative penalties including company probation orders, negative advertising and disqualification for directors.
Links
TUC Liability/Corporate responsibility web pages
TUC/Hazards deadly business campaign and news
HSE report: Health and
Safety Offences and Penalties 2002/2003 [pdf]
The most recent documents available on this subject are:
Penalties Bill
A private member Bill which aimed to increase penalties for health and safety offences failed to get its second reading after less than the required quorum of 40 MPs turned up to vote.
PDF version available for download
4 May 2007
FSA fine exposes HSE's missing teeth
Scottish union federation STUC has expressed fury that the work safety watchdog does not have the same power to lay down hefty sentences enjoyed by the equivalent City financial watchdog.
PDF version available for download
16 February 2007
TUC dismay at reduction in Hatfield fine
The TUC today (Wednesday) reacted with dismay at the news that the Court of Appeal has reduced the fine payable by Balfour Beatty for their poor track maintenance that contributed to the 2000 Hatfield train crash.
5 July 2006
Attack continues on falling safety inspections
TUC's earning last week that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) must reverse a dangerous and dramatic reduction in workplace safety inspections has received backing from unions and safety professionals.
PDF version available for download
26 May 2006
Health and Safety and the Hampton Review of Regulation
This briefing looks at the recommendations of the Hampton report into regulation and assesses its likely effect on Health and Safety enforcement
23 March 2005
HSE given more teeth and larger role
New and higher penalties are to be introduced for workplace safety crimes and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is going to have a greatly expanded inspection empire absorbing four other agencies, the government said this week.
PDF version available for download
21 March 2005
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