Over the years, there is no question that Health and Safety executive fines have increased and since the new sentencing guidelines took place in February 2016, the largest 20 fines for health and safety offences within the UK totaled a staggering £38.6m.
Despite the steep rise in fines over the last few years, according to Freedom of Information figures from Clyde & Co, the number of company directors prosecuted for health and safety offences has more than tripled over a 12 month period. In comparison with 2015, 46 company directors and senior managers were prosecuted in 2016, an increase of 11 on the year before.
In only March of this year, a construction firm was fined a £105,000 after a worker was left paralysed following an accident at a building site in Kilsyth. The investigation found that the metal deck sheets on the first level of the building had not been secured properly and the access to the first level of the decking was not adequately controlled.
With accidents like this one still happening all too often, it’s no surprise that fines for safety failings are increasing. The principal aim of the fines is to re-focus attention on the importance of work at height safety.
In order to avoid HSE fines, employers, building owners and managers must be aware of the relevant legislation. The Work at Height regulations 2005, The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 and The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 are just a few of these, and it is vital that duty holders understand and adhere to all relevant regulations in order to keep employees safe and avoid hefty penalties.
Here at Heightsafe Systems, we offer a range of work at height safety equipment and training in its correct use. This ensures that everyone involved with work at height activities is using appropriate equipment – and understands how to use it safely. Our work at height training courses are flexible and can be delivered via our in-house training facility or your own premises.
In order to ensure compliance and safe work at height practice, we also carry out regular PPE kit inspections for many of our clients alongside surveys and risk assessments. This removes the headache, administrative worry around compliance for duty holders, giving them the peace of mind that they are operating in line with legislation and that employees are safe when working at height.
If you would like more information about our training or PPE inspection services as well as work at height equipment and fall protection installation services, please get in touch with us on: 020 3819 7199 or email using our contact form.