Nearly all of the 10 highest penalties in 2024 were well into the millions, with the top three fines making it onto the list of the biggest Health and Safety Executive (HSE) fines of all time.
While it is encouraging that companies that breach regulations meet serious consequences, it is also alarming that breaches warrant such large penalties. There has been an upward trend in the highest health and safety fines in recent years, with the biggest fine in 2022 being over double the highest fine in 2020.
However, the largest penalty in 2023 broke this trend. Ideally, the number of fines issued year on year would decrease. Health and safety training helps companies avoid workplace accidents and the penalties that come with them.
According to the most recent HSE statistics, falls from height remain the biggest reason for fatal accidents among UK workers. This, together with being struck by a moving vehicle, accounts for around 70% of all fatal workplace injuries in 2023/2024.
Construction is still the most dangerous industry in terms of health and safety, with the largest number of deaths attributed to this industry.
Headline HSE statistics
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) statistics show that in 2023/2024:
- 138 workers killed at work
- 604,000 non-fatal injuries at work according to self-reports (Labour Force Survey)
- 61,663 non-fatal injuries reported by employers (RIDDOR)
- 1.7 million workers suffered from work-related ill-health
- 33.7 million working days lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury
Top 10 health and safety breaches of 2024
- National Grid: £3.2m + £20.5k costs
- Veolia ES (UK) Limited: £3m + £60k costs
- BAM Nuttall Ltd: £2.3m + £25.7k costs
- Brand Energy & Infrastructure Services UK Ltd: £1.6m + £23.1k costs
- Openreach Limited: £1.3m + £15.8k costs
- CF Booth Limited: £1.2m + £5.6m costs
- Samworth Brothers Limited: £1.28 + £24.1k costs
- Tata Chemicals Europe Limited: £1.1m + £60.6k costs
- Southampton Container Terminals Limited: £1m + £11.6 costs
- Keltbray Limited: £900k + £18.4k costs
Top 10 health and safety breaches of 2024 in detail
We have examined the UK's biggest health and safety fines over the past few years to help you understand how to avoid making the same simple mistakes.
1. National Grid: £3.2m + £20.5k costs
Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 Regulation 14
The National Grid has been fined over £3 million following a severe workplace incident in South Wales that left a worker, Justin Hollins, with life-altering injuries. Hollins, a father of two, suffered a 33,000-volt electric shock while replacing step bolts on a pylon at Treforest Industrial Estate in Pontypridd on December 3, 2020.
Both National Grid Electricity Distribution (South Wales) Plc and 4 Power Ltd faced fines for their roles in the safety failures that led to this tragic incident. Fines for the companies were £3.2m and £80k respectively.
The National Grid’s failure to ensure adequate safety measures has resulted in significant penalties following a catastrophic accident.
2. Veolia ES (UK) Ltd: £3m + £60k costs
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 Section 2(1)
A recycling company, Veolia ES (UK) Limited, has been fined £3 million after a tragic accident during the decommissioning of a North Sea gas rig resulted in the death of one worker and serious injuries to another.
An investigation by the HSE found significant failures in Veolia's planning, risk assessment, and supervision. The company had not properly assessed the risks associated with the task, leading to inadequate safety measures. As a result, Veolia pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety regulations and was fined.
"This incident, in an emerging industry, highlights the level of controls required to safely demolish what are large, dangerous structures. Veolia did not meet these standards and tragically one life was lost, and another forever changed."
3. BAM Nuttall Ltd: £2.3m + £25.7k costs
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 Section 2(1)
BAM Nuttall Ltd has been fined £2.345 million following the death of worker Gary Webster, who drowned in the River Aire in October 2017. Mr Webster and another worker were on a boat removing debris from Knostrop Weir when their boat capsised in turbulent water.
An HSE investigation revealed that BAM Nuttall Ltd had trained operatives who could have controlled the weir gates to slow the water flow, allowing debris to be safely removed. However, the company failed to implement this procedure.
“[BAM Nuttall Ltd] failed to ensure that suitable safety measures were in place and failed to put in place a safe system of work. This incident could so easily have been avoided by simply carrying out correct control measures and safe working practices.”
4. Brand Energy & Infrastructure Services UK Ltd: £1.6m + £23.1k costs
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 Section 2(1)
Brand Energy and Infrastructure Services UK Ltd has been fined £1.6 million following the tragic death of 24-year-old Jack Phillips.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Sussex Police revealed the company’s failure to adequately plan the lifting operation, establish safe exclusion zones, and ensure proper inspection of lifting accessories, including the use of expired slings.
“This tragic incident led to the wholly avoidable death of a young man. This death could so easily have been prevented if Jack’s employer had fulfilled its statutory duty to plan and manage the risks associated with lifting equipment and lifting operations."
5. Openreach Ltd: £1.3m + £15.8k costs
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 Section 2 (1)
Openreach Limited has been fined £1.34 million following the death of engineer Alun Owen, who slipped and fell into the River Aber in Abergwyngregyn in October 2020 during a repair job.
Despite attempts by several engineers over two months to fix telephone lines running across the river, no safe system was in place for working near water. Owen, 32, received no training or instructions on water safety. Flooding had made the river particularly dangerous at the time of the incident.
HSE inspector Christina Roberts emphasised that Owen's death was preventable and criticised the lack of proper safety measures, urging companies to learn from this tragedy to avoid similar incidents.
6. CF Booth Ltd: £1.2m + £5.6m costs
Health and Safety at Work etc. Section 2
CF Booth Limited, a Yorkshire metals recycling company, has been fined £1.2 million after a worker was injured by a 32-tonne skip wagon at their Rotherham site in August 2020. The employee was not wearing a hi-vis jacket and was struck while crossing the yard.
The driver, focusing on manoeuvring around low-level skips, did not see the pedestrian. The worker sustained a fractured skull and collarbone but has since recovered.
An HSE investigation revealed the site lacked proper organisation to safely manage pedestrian and vehicle circulation, and there was no adequate transport risk assessment. The accident could have been prevented with proper risk assessment and control measures like barriers and crossing points.
“If CF Booth Limited had assessed the risks and ensured vehicles and pedestrians could circulate in a safe manner, this incident could have easily been avoided."
7. Samworth Brothers Limited: £1.28 + £24.1k costs
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 Section 2(1)
Samworth Brothers, the owner of Ginsters, has been fined £1.28 million following the death of Paul Clarke, who was fatally crushed by a reversing lorry in December 2021.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed the company failed to assess risks associated with temporary strip curtains, installed as a substitute for a faulty roller door, and did not implement a safe system to manage their use during lorry operations.
8. Tata Chemicals Europe Ltd: £1.1m + £60.6k costs
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 Section 3(1)
Tata Chemicals Europe Limited has been fined following the death of Michael Densmore, a 37-year-old father of four from Merseyside, who died after an incident at their Northwich plant.
In November 2016, while erecting a scaffold tower, Mr Densmore slipped and fell into a trough containing heated calcium hydroxide, sustaining severe chemical and thermal burns. An HSE investigation revealed significant safety lapses: no permit for hazardous work was in place, and risks were poorly managed.
The scaffolding team had not been properly informed about the presence of hazardous chemicals or the insecure lids covering the troughs. Mr Densmore received only a brief induction and was unaware of the dangers. Tata Chemicals Europe has previously faced prosecutions for health and safety violations at the same site and another nearby.
9. Southampton Container Terminals Ltd: £1m + £11.6 costs
Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 Section 2 (1)
A logistics company, Southampton Container Terminals Limited (trading as DP World Southampton), has been fined £1 million after an employee suffered severe injuries from a fall. He sustained multiple fractures, including to his skull, back, pelvis, arm, wrist, and ankle.
The hole he fell through had been left exposed by contractors replacing a glass floor, creating a serious fall risk for workers. An investigation by the HSE revealed that the company failed to establish a safe system of work, which would have protected Mr. Hooper and others from such dangers.
The investigation also found that there was no proper risk assessment in place and that the company neglected to follow its own safety procedures, including the use of permits for work at height.
10. Keltbray Ltd: £900k + £18.4k costs
Work at Height Regulations 2005
Keltbray Limited faced a hefty fine of £900,000 after an incident involving a harrowing fall from a height of 6 meters. The gravity of the situation was evident as the company had already allocated a substantial provision of £6 million in its latest financial accounts to address what was termed a "civil regulatory matter" linked to this unfortunate event.
The beginning of this issue can be traced back to a prior management team, indicating that the repercussions of lax safety measures persisted despite leadership changes. The potential range of liability stemming from this incident is staggering, estimated between £3.9 million and £16 million, underscoring the seriousness of the oversight and its enduring ramifications.
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