09 February 2017
Health and safety fines against companies have risen significantly in the past year as a result of new sentencing guidelines that came into force on 1 February 2016. According to Osborne Clarke, which made a Freedom of Information Act request along with the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, the largest fine was £5m for the Alton Towers theme park rollercoaster crash. A further 19 fines of £1m or more included Foodles Production’s’ fine of £1.6m for actor Harrison Ford’s broken leg while filming Star Wars: the Force Awakens. The largest 20 fines cost a total of £38.6m, compared to £13.5m in 2015 and £4.3m in 2014.
