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The Health and Safety Executive, often referred to as the HSE, is an independent regulator that aims to prevent work-related death, injury and ill-health.
The foundations of the organisation can be dated back to the 1800’s when the HM Factory Inspectorate, Mines Inspectorate and Quarry Inspectorates were formed.
But it was on 1 January 1975 that the Health and Safety Executive was officially established, led by its first Director General, John Lock.
The organisation acts in the public interest to reduce work-related death and serious injury across Great Britain’s workplaces. It is not the sole regulator, as in many cases local authorities are responsible for breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act etc 1974.
Since 2014 when the Care Act came into force, the Care Quality Commission has been responsible for undertaking some of the investigatory/regulatory work currently been undertaken by the HSE or the local authorities, when an incident causing harm, injury or death occurs to a person who is receiving care and support.
Commentary from HSE officials is often featured in SHP from its in-court stories, where the regulator is responsible for bringing prosecutions against individuals and companies.
HSE prosecutions
For the latest HSE news stories, including prosecutions, follow SHP’s In Court page here and see a summary of the most recent news stories below.
HSE facts and figures
HSE data shows that a total of 135 workers died in work-related incidents in Great Britain in 2022/23, an increase of 12 from the previous year.
In statistical terms the number of fatalities has remained broadly level in recent years – the average annual number of workers killed at work over the five years 2017/18-2021/22 is 134.
The construction and agriculture, forestry and fishing sectors continue to account for the greatest number of workers killed in fatal accidents each year.
1.8 million working people suffering from a work-related illness, of which
914,000 workers suffering work-related stress, depression or anxiety
477,000 workers suffering from a work-related musculoskeletal disorder
123,000 workers suffering from COVID-19 which they believe may have been from exposure to coronavirus at work
2,544 mesothelioma deaths due to past asbestos exposures (2020)
123 workers killed in work-related accidents
565,000 working people sustained an injury at work according to the Labour Force Survey
61,713 injuries to employees reported under RIDDOR
36.8 million working days lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury
£18.8 billion estimated cost of injuries and ill health from current working conditions (2019/20)
HSE regulatory functions versus local authorities
As a regulator, the HSE’s aim is to prevent workplace death, injury or ill health, through using a variety of methods to influence change and help people manage risks at work. These include:
Taking enforcement action to prevent harm and hold those who break the law to account.
They claim to work collaboratively with other regulators, agencies and government departments to ensure the most appropriate organisation intervenes. They do this by setting arrangements, where laws overlap, to:
Promote cooperation;
Minimise duplication;
Coordinate on joint regulatory activities;
Share information and intelligence.
They will not intervene if another regulator has specific responsibility for that area.
Local authorities are responsible for regulating health and safety in lower-risk workplaces, such as offices, shops and warehouses.
Headquartered in Bootle, near Liverpool, the HSE headquarters address is: Redgrave Court, Merton Road, Bootle, Merseyside, L20 7HS.
There are also several other offices around the country. To find your nearest office or knowledge – centre see this page on the HSE website.
Reporting incidents to HSE
All incidents can be reported using an online form, but a telephone service remains for reporting fatal and major injuries only – call the HSE Incident Contact Centre on 0345 300 9923 (opening hours Monday to Friday 8.30 am to 5 pm).
Safety & Health Podcast
Subscribe and tune in the Safety & Health Podcast to discover the latest issues facing the health and safety profession, and stay on-top of the developments affecting your role, from working at height, lone working and common workplace hazards, to safety culture, behaviours, occupational health and mental health and wellbeing.
Taking place between 13 and 17 May 2024, and organised by the No Falls Foundation, No Falls Week’s aims to raise awareness about the importance of safe working at height and to prevent falls.
Metal recycling company fined after employee’s arm severed
A scrap metal recycling company in Essex has been fined £200,000 after an employee’s arm was severed when it became entangled in a catalytic converter sampling machine.
INEOS fined £400k after employee seriously injured
INEOS has been fined £400,000 after an employee was seriously injured while carrying out a routine task at its chemicals site in Grangemouth, Scotland.
Bedding manufacturer fined after employees suffer serious injuries
A bedding manufacturer has been fined more than £250,000 after two of its employees were seriously injured during separate incidents at its site in Rochdale.
Company fined £450k and director and site manager sentenced following death of labourer
A company has been fined £450,000 and the firm’s director has received a suspended prison sentence after a labourer was crushed to death at a construction site.
Legal Lens – Health and safety lessons to be learned from Timmins Waste Services’ prosecution
This month, Beth Thompson (Associate) and Kirstie Imber (Associate) consider the successful convictions of Timmins Waste Services and its yard manager, Brian Timmins.
Metalworking fluids: Most businesses inspected ‘not doing enough’ to protect workers
In September last year (2023), the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) announced it was carrying out inspections on manufacturing businesses that use metalworking fluids or coolants. Since then more than half of these checks have identified failings.
Company fined after hospital staff left with life-changing conditions
A company in York has been fined more than £16,000 after staff at a hospital were left with life-changing medical conditions after being exposed to ionised hydrogen peroxide.
Company and director prosecuted after scaffolder suffers electric shock
A Kent scaffolding company has been fined and its director given a suspended prison sentence after a scaffolder suffered an 11,000-volt electric shock.
NHS trust fined £480k after employee found unconscious in manhole
Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has been fined £480,000 after an employee suffered a brain injury after he was found unconscious in a manhole.
A joinery firm in south east London has been fined £14,000 for health and safety failings, including putting its workers at risk of exposure to wood dust.
Company fined after worker spotted on pallet raised by forklift truck
A company has been fined £100k after onlookers spotted an employee working from height while standing on a pallet raised by a forklift truck at Ramsgate Harbour.
Offshore companies fined £1.2m after man injured on North Sea gangway
Two offshore companies have been fined a combined total of more than £1.2m after an offshore worker’s feet were crushed while walking along a gangway over the North Sea.
SHP’s top 10 health and safety prosecutions of 2023
From health and safety failings and negligence to insufficient risk assessments leading to fatalities, have a read of the major health and safety prosecutions of 2023.
Building Safety Regulator sets out three-year plan to create competent built environment and restore trust in sector
The Building Safety Regulator has published its first three-year strategic plan outlining its overarching direction and vision to improve safety standards and galvanise culture change.
£800k fine after stunt performer sustains life-changing injuries on Fast and Furious movie set
A production company has been fined after a stunt performer was injured during the filming of Fast and Furious 9: The Fast Saga, amongst calls for improvements to health and safety on set.
HSE annual workplace stats: Rise in construction deaths while 1.8m cite work-related ill health
Nearly two million workers in Great Britain reported suffering from work-related ill health in 2022/23 as construction sector reports rise in fatalities.
A manufacturer of shopping trolleys has been fined after two men fell approximately three metres when a metal cage they were dismantling collapsed beneath them.
How can we reduce and prevent occupational hearing loss? UKHCA Conference 2023
The annual UKHCA conference took place in Sheffield this month, providing an overview of hearing health, risk management and control with noise at work.
Priory Healthcare fined following death of 21-year-old patient
Priory Healthcare Ltd has been fined for failing to ensure the safety of patients on the hospital’s Emerald Ward following the death of 21-year-old Francesca Whyatt.
Two men injured after cradle falls nine floors at London tower block build
Two men working on a residential tower under construction in London were fortunate to escape death when a defective cradle they were in fell about 90 feet.
Suspended prison sentence for builder over gas safety failures
A builder has avoided an immediate spell behind bars after being convicted of carrying out gas work at a property in Berkshire when he was not qualified to do so.
No effective design or planning to eliminate risks from dust at some UK construction sites, HSE campaign finds
Some UK construction sites have no effective design or planning to eliminate risks from dust and the hierarchy of controls is simply not considered at all, says the regulator.
A company in Birmingham has been fined £1,275,000 after a 26-year-old man was crushed to death during maintenance work at Mountsorrel Quarry in Leicestershire.
Two construction firms fined after man suffers serious injuries
Two construction companies have been fined a combined total of £120,000 after a groundworker suffered horrific injuries when heavy drainage pipes fell on top of him.
Ahead of a webinar on redefining risk management, Evotix’s Langdon Dement gives a great overview of what it really means and what steps you can take to embed it in your workplace.