In the first quarter of 2025, there were 28 prosecutions which cost businesses nearly £4 million in fines, and nearly £¼ of a million in court costs.
This does not take into account prison sentences (both custodial and suspended), nor the number of hours passed down as community service sentences, to conduct unpaid work.
In the first month of the second quarter, there have been 16 prosecutions, fines issued which total over £10.8 million, a further £88,000 in costs and a single custodial sentence of 10 years 6 months.
This does not take into account smaller sentences with hundreds more hours passed down as community service sentences.
Safety in the Workplace
It should be in every single business’ DNA by now, with over 50 years of having health and safety legislation in place, that the personal safety of employees, and any others who could be affected by their actions or inactions, whether for health and safety or fire safety reasons, is uppermost in their thoughts.
Whatever guise safety is wearing, it must be given the due consideration it warrants and indeed is legally entitled to, to ensure that people are looked after with their safety assured, regardless of whether they are:
- Earning the money for the employer (employees); or
- Spending money with the employer, (customers/clients); or
- Just window shopping, (the general public).
Month by Month
In January, businesses working in Construction, the Motor Vehicle Repair (MVR) industry, Manufacturing or Waste Recycling industries, as well as two separate individuals working within those businesses, were deemed, through 11 prosecutions, covering a lack of suitable or existing risk assessments, a lack of training, a lack of supervision and even ignoring issued prohibition notices, were found guilty of causing many injuries, including a fatal injury, and fined a total of just over £1.67 million with over £80,000 in costs, being handed down.
In February, companies in the Agricultural, Construction and Manufacturing industries were plaintiffs in the 7 prosecutions where serious injuries and 3 fatalities, cost businesses and 2 individuals over £1.35 million in fines, nearly £40,000 in costs, a suspended sentence and a custodial sentence.
In March, 10 prosecutions involving businesses in the Construction, Farming, Manufacturing, Education and Transport sectors, as well as 5 separate individuals, were brought to book for ignoring prohibition notices, causing pupils at school to be sent home feeling ill, conducting poor asbestos management, causing amputations of limbs and digits and 2 fatalities, and saw nearly £1 million in fines, court costs of over £120,000, as well as hundreds of hours of unpaid work in the community being issued.
And in April, 16 prosecutions involving providers of Construction services, Healthcare, Waste Recycling, Farming, and Social Housing, to name just a few, as well as the sole owner of an Adventure Activity venture were found to be responsible for 14 fatalities between them, unlicensed Asbestos removal, multiple amputations and even a shooting, amounted to over £10.8 million in fines, £88,000 in costs and a single 10½ year custodial sentence, as well as hundreds of hours of unpaid work, being handed down.
We all need to check ourselves regularly, to ensure we are doing what needs to be done.
This means that all employers and their employees must take their responsibilities seriously, so that the 138 employee deaths and 87 other work-related fatalities that occurred in 2024 meant something, and give the 1,369 employees who died in the last 10 years a voice.
Our message is simple: to fulfil your legal duty to keep people safe, make necessary changes, do the work, help your employees and others stay safe, and if you do not know how, talk to a professional.
Doing otherwise is illegal, immoral, and at the end of the day, can turn out to not be the cost-effective option it was perhaps thought to be.
To avoid accidents, causing harm, and facing prosecution, ensure your business complies with health and safety law in 2025 by:
- Conducting risk assessments as and when required (prior to undertaking activities).
- Providing training regarding the risks involved and how to manage them.
- Supervising risk management, as necessary, until competence is demonstrated.
- Formally reviewing risk assessments and associated safe systems of work regularly.
- Updating training provided (toolbox talks, in-house or external formal training).
- Keeping/updating records of all the above processes.
If you need help with the matters raised here, please do not hesitate to contact us.