Health and safety fines have been climbing sharply, and businesses of all sizes are feeling the impact.

What used to be a rare, worst-case scenario is now a real financial risk, with courts issuing higher and more frequent penalties for safety failings. If you run a business, this is worth paying attention to - because the cost of getting safety wrong is now bigger than ever.

Who Hands Out the Fines?

Several authorities are involved in policing workplace safety:

• HSE (Health and Safety Executive) investigates serious incidents and prosecutes major breaches.
• Local authorities deal with offices, shops, hospitality and other lower-risk workplaces.
• The CPS brings cases to court
• The courts ultimately decide the size of the fine.

Both Magistrates’ and Crown Courts can issue unlimited fines, meaning there is no upper limit. The worse the breach, and the bigger the business, the higher the penalty.

How Courts Decide the Size of the Fine

Under the Sentencing Council guidelines, judges look at:

• Culpability: Was it a small oversight or a serious failure to follow the law?
• Harm risked: Not just the injury that occurred, but what could have happened.
• Company size: Turnover is used to scale fines so that they genuinely have an impact.

For example, a smaller business could face a starting point of £250,000 for a very serious breach, while a large company might start in the millions. Even after reductions for a guilty plea, fines can end up being devastating.

Recent Cases Show the Scale of Penalties

Fines have risen steadily over the last decade, and recent cases highlight the trend:

• BAM Nuttall Ltd was fined 2.3m after an employee drowned during poorly planned work.
• David Lloyd Leisure received a £2.55m fine after a child drowned due to inadequate supervision.
• Stateside Foods paid £800k after two machinery incidents injured workers.
• Biffa Waste Services was fined £2.48m after a worker was fatally hit due to a lack of safe pedestrian routes.
• Cambridgeshire County Council was fined £6 million after safety failings that led to three deaths and multiple injuries.

These are not isolated incidents - many large organisations now face fines of millions of pounds when serious failings come to light.

Why Cutting Corners Costs More

Some businesses avoid safety spending because they see it as an unnecessary cost. But research shows the opposite: SMEs can pay over £60,000 more in fines alone than what it would have cost to comply in the first place.

On top of the fine, companies face:

• Legal fees
• Compensation claims
• Sick pay
• Insurance increases
• Reputational damage
• And in serious cases, potential prison sentences for directors

How to Protect Your Business

Avoiding fines isn’t complicated - but it does require consistency. The basics still matter:

• Carry out proper risk assessments
• Train employees, and refresh this training regularly
• Keep machinery, equipment and workplaces safe
• Maintain good records (because if it’s not written down, it didn’t happen)
• Review your health and safety policy often

As enforcement becomes tougher, prevention is far cheaper than a potential prosecution.

If you’re unsure whether your safety measures hold up, it’s better to find out now than after an incident. A simple audit can highlight gaps early and keep both your workforce and your business protected.

🔗Continue these conversations at The Health and Safety Event... Registration is NOW OPEN!

🔔Stay up to date with the latest in safety, sustainability, and innovation.
Subscribe to Health Safety Digital Newsletter for news, insights, and updates from across the industry.