Some H&S Prosecution and Court Cases from the UK 2025-2026
- £2.2 million fine – worker killed by a three-tonne pallet
Builders’ merchant XXX Ltd was fined after 56-year-old XXXX was crushed to death inside a conveyor system. CCTV showed workers had entered the danger area 19 times in little over a month. Warning signs had been put up, but physical guarding had not prevented access. A tragic reminder that instructions and signs are not substitutes for proper engineering controls. Fine: £2.2 million. - Care home fined £16,000 after resident choked to death
Care Home XXX Ltd was prosecuted after an 86-year-old resident with known swallowing difficulties was served food that did not meet his prescribed texture-modified diet. HSE found the system for preparing and serving specialist meals was not sufficiently robust. Penalty: £16,000. This case shows that health and safety in care is about safe systems of work, not just slips, trips and manual handling. - £120,000 fine – flour dust put bakery workers at risk
Food manufacturer XXX Ltd was fined after workers were exposed to hazardous levels of inhalable dust, including flour dust capable of causing occupational asthma. HSE also found employees routinely lifting 25kg sacks. Importantly, nobody needed to suffer a major accident before HSE prosecuted — exposure to an uncontrolled health risk was enough. Fine: £120,000. - £30,000 fine for ignoring welding-fume warnings
Skip manufacturer XXX Ltd continued mild-steel welding without adequate LEV or other controls despite HSE serving Improvement Notices. Workers were exposed to carcinogenic welding fume, and suitable health surveillance for noise exposure was also absent. The company was fined £30,000. Ignoring an HSE notice can turn a manageable problem into a prosecution. - Farmer fined after employee killed in ATV overturn
A farm employee died after an ATV overturned on a hillside in Wales. HSE found that neither occupant had received adequate training, neither was wearing a seat belt, and routine pre-use vehicle checks were not being carried out. The farm owner was fined £5,500 plus costs. The fine may appear modest, but the consequence for the worker and his family was permanent. - £134,000 fine – worker loses leg during routine unloading
Flower supplier XXX Ltd was fined £134,000 after an employee’s leg became trapped while workers tried to free stuck cargo. A moving skid struck him and his injuries ultimately resulted in a through-knee amputation. HSE identified an unsafe system of work and an unprotected gap in the roller deck. Routine jobs can become high-risk when unsafe workarounds gradually become normal practice. - £400,000 fine – worker crushed by mobile shredder
Waste company XXX Ltd was fined £400,000 after a 22-year-old worker was trapped between a moving shredder and a gate post, leaving her with life-changing injuries. HSE found pedestrian access close to moving vehicles had effectively become accepted practice. Workplace transport remains one of those risks where simple segregation can make the difference between an ordinary working day and a catastrophic accident. - Sawmill fined – and director banned for five years
XXX Ltd was fined £20,000, while its MD was personally fined £5,000 and disqualified from acting as a director for five years. HSE had previously issued Improvement Notices concerning wood dust, RPE, health surveillance and lift-truck training, but the required action was not taken. A useful reminder that enforcement can ultimately reach individual directors as well as the company. - Asbestos failures – fines plus a suspended prison sentence
After large-scale asbestos disturbance at a demolition site, XXX Ltd was fined £74,900 and XXX Ltd £13,400. Site manager Mr XXX received 26 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, a three-month electronically monitored curfew and a five-year director disqualification. HSE found that asbestos had been identified, yet demolition continued and an unlicensed company was later engaged to clear it up. - Telehandler driver receives suspended prison sentence after fatality
A self-employed telehandler operator reversed over and killed a colleague on a construction site. HSE found he chose to reverse without a banksman even though a turning circle was available, and he had also been using his mobile phone while controlling the vehicle. He received 12 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, plus an £800 fine. Health and safety duties can apply to individual workers and contractors — not only employers.
How to avoid a Health and Safety prosecution
What do HSE prosecutions have in common?
The businesses may be completely different, but the underlying problems are often remarkably similar:
Poor risk assessments, inadequate guarding, unsafe systems of work, missing training, weak supervision and failure to act on known problems.
In many cases, the precautions needed were neither complicated nor particularly expensive. Dealing with the problem after an accident or HSE intervention is usually far more costly.
Could one of these situations happen in your business?
You do not need an enormous health and safety system. You need the right risks identified, sensible precautions in place and evidence that they are actually being followed.
Safety is the Key Ltd can independently review your arrangements and identify gaps before a small issue becomes a serious problem.
Simple. Sensible. Safety.
Six Smart steps to stay safe and stay legal
Good health and safety does not need to be complicated.
These six steps can help prevent accidents, demonstrate good management and provide valuable evidence if your business is ever inspected or investigated.
- Keep your paperwork in shape
Your health and safety documents should be relevant, current and regularly reviewed.
Depending on your business, this may include:
- Health & Safety Policy
- Risk assessments
- Fire Risk Assessment
- Training records
- Inspection checklists
- Accident records
- Maintenance records
- COSHH assessments
- Safe systems of work
- Contractor documentation
Out-of-date or incomplete documents can create serious problems following an accident, complaint or inspection.
If your paperwork has not been reviewed for some time, a simple independent H&S audit can quickly identify what needs attention.
- Train new starters immediately
New employees should receive essential health and safety information from day one.
A straightforward induction should normally cover:
- Workplace hazards
- Emergency and fire procedures
- First aid
- Accident reporting
- PPE
- Welfare facilities
- Site rules
- Safe working procedures
Good induction training establishes expectations from the beginning and helps prevent unsafe habits developing.
- Refresh training regularly
Training should not be a one-off exercise.
Short, regular refreshers can reinforce safe working practices and demonstrate that important information is being communicated.
Topics might include:
- Manual handling
- Fire safety
- COSHH
- Work at height
- Asbestos awareness
- Slips, trips and falls
- Workplace transport
- PPE
- Risk assessments
Training can include toolbox talks, online courses, demonstrations or short supervisor-led briefings.
Most importantly, keep records of what was delivered, when and who attended.
- Review your risk assessments
Risk assessments should reflect the work your employees actually undertake.
Review them when:
- Activities or equipment change
- Premises or staffing change
- An accident or near miss occurs
- New hazards are identified
- Guidance changes
- A suitable review period has passed
Generic paperwork may look impressive in a folder but will not help if it bears little resemblance to what actually happens in the workplace.
Your assessments should identify real hazards, who may be harmed and the controls needed.
Not sure whether your risk assessments are suitable? We can review them without unnecessarily rewriting everything from scratch.
- Get competent Health & Safety advice
Every employer should have access to competent health and safety assistance.
This could be someone within the business with suitable knowledge and experience or an external consultant.
A competent second opinion can help you:
- Identify gaps
- Prioritise actions
- Avoid unnecessary paperwork
- Prepare for audits or inspections
- Improve legal compliance
- Protect employees, directors and managers
Safety is the Key Ltd can act as your competent H&S adviser, providing practical support by telephone, email, Teams or site visit.
Sometimes one short conversation can prevent a much bigger problem later.
- Use simple Checklists
Checklists are one of the easiest ways to keep important safety arrangements under control.
Examples include:
- Workplace inspections
- Fire door and emergency lighting checks
- Ladder inspections
- Vehicle checks
- Machinery guarding
- PPE
- Housekeeping
- First aid
- Contractor checks
A checklist does not need to be complicated. It simply needs to be relevant, used regularly and acted upon.
If a problem is identified, record what was done and who was responsible.
Good records matter
No business can guarantee that an accident will never happen.
However, effective health and safety arrangements can reduce risk and help demonstrate that your business took reasonable precautions.
If something does go wrong, good records may provide important evidence that you had:
- Suitable policies
- Risk assessments
- Training
- Inspections
- Competent advice
- Clear responsibilities
- Evidence that action was taken
That evidence can matter enormously after an accident or investigation.
What to do when an Inspector calls
An unexpected visit from an HSE inspector, fire officer, local authority officer or insurer can be stressful.
The best time to prepare is before they arrive.
Inspectors can examine workplaces and documents, speak to employees, investigate incidents and take formal enforcement action where necessary.
Common issues include:
- Unsafe working practices
- Missing or inadequate risk assessments
- Poor training records
- Unsafe machinery or guarding
- Uncontrolled hazardous substances
- Asbestos risks
- Unsafe work at height
- Poor welfare arrangements
- Weak management systems
Many of these problems can be identified through a relatively simple health and safety review.
Enforcement Notices
An Improvement Notice generally requires a legal breach to be corrected within a specified period.
A Prohibition Notice can stop an activity where there is a risk of serious personal injury.
Both require prompt attention. Failure to comply can lead to prosecution.
If an Inspector visits
Remain calm and professional:
- Be cooperative
- Ask to see identification
- Inform a senior manager
- Keep notes
- Provide requested information
- Do not guess if you do not know an answer
- Ask for clarification where necessary
- Act promptly on any concerns raised
- Obtain competent advice if required
Your response following an inspection can be just as important as the inspection itself.
Why do Inspectors visit?
Visits may follow:
- An accident or complaint
- A targeted inspection campaign
- Concerns about a particular activity
- A previous enforcement visit
- Information received from another authority
You may receive little or no warning.
That is why your health and safety arrangements should be maintained throughout the year rather than hurriedly assembled when an inspector arrives.
We can help before — or after — an Inspection
Safety is the Key Ltd is often contacted after an HSE, fire authority, local authority or insurance inspection.
We can help interpret what has been requested, prioritise actions and prepare the necessary documentation or evidence.
But it is usually easier — and less stressful — to identify problems beforehand.
Our H&S support packages give businesses access to competent advice when questions arise.
If an inspector arrived tomorrow, would you know who to call?
Lessons from real prosecutions
Health and safety prosecutions frequently follow a familiar pattern.
An accident occurs and investigators then look at the risk assessments, training, supervision, equipment and management arrangements.
If basic precautions were missing, enforcement may follow.
Whether the issue involves machinery, hazardous substances, vulnerable people, workplace transport, work at height or contractors, the underlying lesson is similar:
Identify the risk. Put sensible controls in place. Train people. Check that the controls are working. Keep evidence.
Could your business benefit from a second opinion?
You may already be doing most things correctly.
Sometimes all that is needed is an independent pair of eyes to confirm what is working well and identify the few areas that need improvement.
Safety is the Key Ltd provides practical health and safety audits, competent advice, risk assessments, documentation and ongoing support to businesses across London and the South East.
Find problems before an inspector, accident or client finds them for you.
Call: 020 8406 5039
Email: info@safetyisthekey.co.uk
Safety is the Key — Simple. Sensible. Safety.