New Health and Safety Act

The Health and Safety Offences Act 2008 came into force on 16 January 2009, increasing penalties and providing the courts with greater sentencing powers for those who break health and safety law.

Unions have welcomed the new law. Hugh Robertson, TUC head of safety, said it was “long-overdue” but warned that “it will only be effective if courts start imposing realistic fines for health and safety offences.” He argued that for many offences there was already an unlimited fine yet last year the average fine for a prosecution taken by the HSE was £12,896 and by a local authority, £7,663. He added: “Courts must use their new powers to ensure that fines are more realistic and reflect the serious nature of these offences.”