Safety fines not paid

Large fines imposed on foreign firms for serious breaches of health and safety law in the UK have not been paid and have even been written off, it has emerged. The revelations have raised concerns about the ability of foreign firms to get round the law.

A £1 million fine imposed on two Swedish firms found responsible for the collapse of a ferry walkway at Ramsgate, Kent in 1994, which killed six people, has been written off by the Lord Chancellor's office. The parent company of the two firms has gone into liquidation.

A £500,000 fine imposed on an Austrian company found responsible for the collapse of a Heathrow Express rail tunnel being dug under Heathrow airport, also in 1994, had also not been paid, and the company was due to appear in court, as Labour Research went to press.

The Health and Safety Executive said that, even if the fine was not paid, there was a considerable effect on the company's reputation, that the company would not be able to work in the UK again, and that any executives of the company visiting the UK would be liable to arrest.