Following the implementation of The Sentencing Council's Health and Safety Offences, Corporate Manslaughter and Food Safety & Hygiene Offences Definitive Guideline, on 1 February 2016, the average fine handed out by courts increased from just over £54,000 in 2015-16, the year before the guidelines were introduced, to over £150,000 in 2018-19.
A leading lawyer clarifies the position after questions were raised as to how employers, already under pressure from the effects of the pandemic, should interpret reporting requirements.
A total of 111 individuals lost their lives at work in the 12 months ending 31 March 2020, the lowest ever recorded number of workplace fatal accidents.
The HSE’s ability to bring prosecutions to a successful conclusion saw a noticeable downturn in 2018/19, as the total number of cases that resulted in a verdict – whether conviction or acquittal – dropped 23% from 509 in 2017/18 to just 393. That is one of a range of insights in the regulator’s annual statistical release, published last week (30 October).
A new app aimed at helping to make reporting dangerous work practices and risks to workers’ safety easier has been launched by SafeWork NSW in Australia.