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Fines rise for safety breaches
Page 8
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THE HEALTH and Safety Offences Act 2008 came into effect on 16 January, and operators caught flouting legislation now face a potential fine of £20000, rather than the previous £5000.
Under the new Act, prison is also an option for health and safety offences.
A Health & Safety Executive (HSE) spokeswoman says: "These new powers will enable the courts to deal much more effectively with those operators that don't take health and safety seriously, that cut corners and flout the law."
Jo Tanner, director of communications at the Freight Transport Association (FTA), says the risk of such a high penalty will be an incentive for some operators that have sailed close to the wind to shape up.
One haulage business to have missed out on increased penalties is Fox Group (Moving and Storage).
The firm was fined 23,515 with £2,000 costs by Skegness Magistrates' Court on 14 January for staff not being efficiently trained, which resulted in a worker being crushed between a 17-tonne vehicle and a brick wall. The accident was not fatal.