Hopefully 2024 has been a profitable and safe year for your business and workforce, with health and safety well-managed, employees being a happy (but not too merry) bunch and the year-end a joyful occasion for you all to look forward to.
For those of us looking back, we can reminisce on the Olympics held in Paris; NASA going back to the moon and a banana, duct taped to a wall, selling for $6.2 million, just to be eaten by the new owner.
We also saw a cargo ship destroy a bridge in Baltimore, Tupperware file for bankruptcy and some really good people pass on. So, a mix of good and not so good.
However, 2024 also saw 130 + businesses and even some of their individual business owners and managers directly prosecuted with regards to health and safety failings.
Over £37 million was handed down in fines, an 8-month custodial sentence and a further 538 weeks in total were handed out as suspended prison sentences (which is the equivalent of 10 years 4 months) AND 1,930 in unpaid working hours were dished out, which equates to 48.25 weeks – nearly a years’ worth.
The following is a selection of HSE’s prosecutions in 2024
£1.6 million fine issued to company after worker fatally crushed
A worker was killed when a lifting sling carrying sections of a work platform snapped.
Company fined after explosion injured workers
Sparks from a grinder ignited flammable gases causing a metal tank to explode.
Wood panelling firm fined £400,000 after worker loses leg
The worker was injured when a pack of waste MDF sheets fell from a trailer, landing on the worker’s leg, which then had to be amputated below the knee.
Food company fined £1.28 million after worker crushed to death
The fine was issued after a lorry crushed a worker when reversing into a loading bay at a bakery.
Construction firm fined £160,000 after worker killed by telehandler
The fine was issued following the fatal incident at a house build site.
Council fined after man killed by falling tree
A £500,000 fine was issued after a tree fell and killed a member of the public whilst walking his dog.
Plan for 2025
To ensure your business and its management do not fall foul of health and safety law in 2025.
- Conduct risk assessments as and when required (prior to undertaking activities).
- Provide training regarding the risks involved and how to manage them.
- Supervise risk management, as necessary, until competence is demonstrated.
- Formally review risk assessments and associated safe systems of work, regularly.
- Update training provided (toolbox talks, in-house or external formal training).
- Keep / update records of all the above processes.
If you need help with any health & safety related issue do not hesitate to contact your health & safety consultancy . We can provide advice / assistance with:
- Your legal requirements with regards to safety and health.
- The management of health and safety – generally or specific to business activity.
- The risk assessment process and how to conduct and record risk assessments
- Required conduct – as per legal requirements to meet when managing an activity.
- Required health surveillance – as per the activity.
- How to evidence due diligence conducted.
- Training needs and how they can be met (provided and recorded).