Increase in health and safety fines


The introduction of a new sentencing guideline in 2016 resulted in an expected increase in fines for large organisations sentenced for health and safety offences, but there were also some unanticipated changes, according to a new impact assessment from the Sentencing Council.


The council found that in a 16-month pre-guidelines period, the mean (average) fine amount was £40,500 and the median (midpoint) was £12,000. In a 16-month post-guidelines period, these figures increased to £221,700 and £60,000, respectively. 


In the pre-guideline period, around two thirds of organisations received a fine of under £20,000, and only 17% received a fine of £60,000 or more. In the post-guideline period, these proportions changed to 31% and 51% respectively.


The impact assessment also found unanticipated changes, including an increase in fines for smaller organisations and individuals sentenced for health and safety offences, and a change in the use of some sentence types for individuals. The council will investigate further the operation of the guideline in due course and consider whether any revision is necessary. 


https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Health-and-safety-guideline-assessment.pdf