Industrial Health and Safety: Fines

(asked on 19th December 2016) - View Source

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the total amount levied in health and safety fines on businesses since 2014; and what amount has been levied in each business sector.


Answered by
Penny Mordaunt Portrait
Penny Mordaunt
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
This question was answered on 12th January 2017

Statistics published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in November 2016 show that, in 2014/15 and 2015/16, prosecutions in Great Britain instituted by HSE for health and safety offences (or referred to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in Scotland) led to fines totalling £56.3 million. The figures include fines imposed on individuals and all types of organisation. The table below provides a breakdown by year and industrial sector. The data does not include fines resulting from health and safety prosecutions taken by other enforcing organisations such as the Crown Prosecution Service, Office of Road and Rail, or the Office for Nuclear Regulation.

Total fines for prosecution cases instituted by HSE1 in Great Britain2, by industrial sector 2014/153 & 2015/16p

Industrial sector4

2014/15

2015/16p

All Industries

£18,072,811

£38,266,663

Agriculture

£823,944

£612,720

Mining and Quarrying

£473,015

£4,164,120

Manufacturing

£4,673,116

£12,105,301

Utility Supply

£51,135

£4,512,000

Water Supply/Waste Management

£2,056,270

£1,840,445

Construction

£4,258,992

£7,805,975

Distribution, Hotels and Restaurants

£367,611

£603,202

Transportation and Storage

£1,062,698

£3,335,515

Communications, Business Services and Finance

£1,702,070

£1,228,875

Public Administration

£312,120

£350,515

Education

£160,125

£304,115

Human Health and Social Work activities

£1,167,000

£967,120

Arts, Entertainment and Recreation; Other Service activities

£964,715

£436,760

Notes

1 HSE does not hold published statistics for the same period that show the level of fines arising from prosecutions instituted by local authorities.

2 In Scotland, HSE investigate potential offences but cannot institute legal proceedings. HSE send a report to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS). COPFS makes the final decision whether to institute legal proceedings and which offences are taken.

3 Year of prosecution is based on when a result has been secured i.e. the prosecution has been completed. The year is from the beginning of April to the end of March.

4 Industrial sector is defined by Section level of the UK Standard Industrial Classification 2007 (SIC2007).

p= provisional

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