Of course you can't quantify the human cost of a life lost or damaged but the courts are determined to appropriate a significant financial cost to companies falling foul of health & safety breaches. The latest records show an 80% increase in the value of fines for breaching Health & Safety between 2015/16 and 2016/17 and an increase in custodial sentences. Fines have risen from £35m to £61m in the first full year of the new sentencing guidelines. Some of the keynote cases from 2017 included:
- 3 directors were jailed after an employee fell from height
- The manager of a plant hire company was jailed for failing to maintain equipment that caused the death of an employee
- Wilko was fined £2.2m after an employee was paralysed
- Jaguar Land Rover was fined £900,000 after an employee had to have a leg amputated following a collision
- KFC had to pay almost £1m because of burns to employees
- Laing O'Rourke was fined £800,000 after killing an employee with a MEWP
- Iceland Foods Ltd had to pay £2.5m after killing a contractor on their site
- Aldi was fined £1m after an employee injured his foot operating a pallet truck
- Warburtons was fined £3.9m for two offences during the year
- Nottinghamshire County Council was fined £1m after one of its tractors killed a member of the public
- Bakkavor Foods was fined £2m after killing an employee
"Generally, UK businesses lead the way in keeping our workforce safe, however we are starting to see a real impact on corporate finances and reputations." said Richard Nichols, SG World Sales and Marketing Director. "To address this, SG World's product offering helps Health & Safety Managers engage the whole workforce in safety ensuring it's at the forefront of their attention whilst making it easy for workers to be safe."