27 Mar Health and Safety Legislation Breaches – Are You Headed for Huge Fines?
As an employer, you have a responsibility to your staff to minimise risk and ensure their working environment is as safe as possible. Failure to manage risks could mean that you are in breach of health and safety legislation – this could leave you facing unlimited fines.
Many companies assume that because they have a clean health and safety record they cannot be in breach of legislation. However, it is important to note that evidence of an accident is not needed, the presence of risk alone is enough to be prosecuted.
The size of a fine is based on three key criteria: the degree of harm caused, the culpability of the offender and the turnover of the offending organisation. Large businesses face charges of up to £10 million, while small businesses face fines of up to £1.6 million. Micro organisations could be punished with charges of as much as £450,000. Such hefty fines are designed to significantly impact on a business’ finances and have the potential to ruin small and micro businesses in particular.
If you are in any way unsure about your health and safety responsibilities it is better to be safe than sorry. As your partner in safety, Sphere can provide you with expert guidance and support from as little as £85 a month. Get in touch with us now to see how we can help.