Corporate Social Responsibility - compliance solutions
In Brief
January 2026
Twenty years after one of Europe’s largest industrial incidents, the legacy of Buncefield continues to shape safety standards across the UK’s major hazards sector:
A review published by policy think tank Good Jobs First reveals that workplace and environmental abuses may be going unpunished as enforcement has fallen to new lows following a “catastrophic” weakening of rules by government. ‘The State of UK Regulatory Enforcement in 2025’ states the most significant drops were seen in consumer protection, safety, and labour market cases. Total penalties were also down for financial and environmental offences. Download the report:
Hessle Plant Ltd, of Castleford, has pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £433,550 and ordered to pay £8,146.80 in costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge after an employee was killed in a forklift accident in November 2023:
Ten of thousands of women across the UK feel unsafe, embarrassed and scared at work because they are forced to wear Personal Protective Equipment designed for men’s bodies. A survey of hundreds of GMB members shows more than 70 per cent suffer from ill-fitting PPE:
Across industries such as utilities, oil and gas, construction, agriculture, forestry and government, more employees are working in isolation or in remote environments where connectivity isn’t guaranteed. A free IOSH webinar on 29 January, 1-2 PM GMT, will explore the challenges, risks, and solutions for keeping lone workers safe:
Metal polishing company FMP West Midlands Limited, of Oldbury, West Midlands, has pleaded guilty to breaching regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. The company was fined £24,000 and ordered to pay a £2000 victim surcharge and £4,073.10 after an employee suffered finger amputation and crush injuries in July 2024:
The HSE has warned offshore oil and gas operators to improve their process isolation practices or risk serious accidents and fatalities. Following recent investigations, the regulator has identified recurring failings across offshore operations, including poor hazard identification and non-compliance with regulatory requirements:
From the Health and Safety at Work Act, the Equality Act, and the forthcoming Employment Rights Act, UK employers face a growing web of compliance responsibilities around mental wellbeing. Failing to meet those duties is a legal, financial and reputational risk. Watch a free IOSH webinar that examines the legal duty of care towards employees’ mental health, a support and reasonable adjustment procedure, and case law examples involving stress, anxiety, depression, and disability discrimination:
A group of c.30 workers have been suspended from Johnson Matthey’s Platinum Group Metals refinery construction site in Royston, Hertfordshire, after they downed tools over health and safety concerns. Two workers on the project have taken their own lives, according to the unions GMB and Unite:
Industry body Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) has announced a new safety policy for offshore workers. The Safe Weight Limit Policy comes into effect this November and is an industry-wide initiative between OEUK, HM Coastguard, helicopter operators, and member companies. The clothed weight limit for offshore workers under the policy is 124kg / c. 19.5 stone, including a 0.7kg / 1.5 lbs margin:
December 2025
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has launched a consultation on proposals to improve the application of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 and guidance around asbestos management. The consultation runs until 9 January 2026, being particularly relevant to dutyholders, asbestos analysts, asbestos removal contractors, asbestos surveyors and associated professions including facilities management and construction:
An investigation has been launched after the death of a worker on the Valaris 121 jackup drilling rig on Shell’s Shearwater platform 140 miles east of Aberdeen on 14 November. Lee Hulse, 32, fell from a crane. On 22 January 2023, 50-year-old Jason Thomas went missing from the Valaris 121. It is likely he fell through a hole in the deck after a grating was dislodged. His body was never found:
Shell UK Limited failed to properly maintain pipework on its Brent Charlie platform in the North Sea for seven years, as well as failing to maintain ventilation fans. That led to the release of 200kg of gas and 1,550kg of crude oil in May 2017. The company pleaded guilty to two charges under the Offshore Installations (Prevention of Fire and Explosion, and Emergency Response) Regulations 1995 (PFEER):
The BSI has published the first British Standard dedicated to addressing the risk of suicide and its impact in the workplace (BS 30480). The standard provides practical guidance for organisations of all sizes and sectors on how to prevent and respond to suicide risk:
Engineering services firm Doosan Babcock Ltd (now Altrad Babcock) has been fined £900,000 plus a £67,500 victim surcharge after a rigger suffered serious head and shoulder injuries when he was struck by a 130kg metal coil while he refurbished a furnace at the ExxonMobil's Mossmorran Fife Ethylene Plant, near Cowdenbeath, in July 2021:
The latest Health and Safety Executive 2025 report has shown that 511,000 UK workers are suffering from a work-related musculoskeletal disorder, resulting in 7.1 million lost working days in 2024/25. This comes as Bupa research highlights a growing health epidemic, with those suffering from back pain doing so for a staggering 106 days – that’s 3.4 months – every single year, with one in five (18%) blaming their back pain on prolonged sitting at work:
hse.gov.uk & wellbeingnews.co.uk
Manufacturing company Penn Elcom Limited has been fined £80,000 plus £4,537.32 in costs after a visiting lorry driver sustained life-changing head injuries when he fell from a trailer during loading operations at a site in County Durham on 18 November 2024. The company pleaded guilty to breaches of sections 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974:
His Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) has released its inspection report on the HSE. While it recommended areas for improvement, it also commended the high-quality of its casework:
The launch of England’s first Men’s Health Strategy for England has highlighted persistent health inequalities among men. Howden Employee Benefits (Howden) is urging employers to respond, as men continue to seek less mental health support than women and need better workplace provisions:
HSE statistics show there were 6 fatalities in the waste sector over the past year – three workers and three members of the public. The causes were being struck by a moving vehicle or a falling/flying object, and by electrocution. The fatal injury rate in the waste sector is 3.29 per 100,000 workers, which is around 8.2 times the all industry rate. Only the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector are higher:
Manufacturer A J Wells & Sons Ltd, of Newport, Isle of Wight, has pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, fined £200,000 plus £9,056 in prosecution costs. This follows an employee losing a lower leg after heavy metal sheets fell on him in August 2023. A similar incident occurred in November 2021, but despite this the task of moving heavy sheet metal had still not been adequately risk assessed:
A new BSI Standards Publication - BS 8460:2025 - has been published, titled “Safe use of mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs) - Code of practice”. The revised British Standard replaces BS 8460:2017 and has been fully updated to reflect BS EN 280-1:2022 and BS EN 280-2:2022:
The Health and Safety Executive is hosting a webinar on process isolations in the offshore oil and gas sector, aimed at driving improvement in this critical safety area. The free online event will take place on 4 December 2025 from 10:30 to 11:30:
November 2025
New research from Instant Offices has revealed that UK sick leave has hit alarming new levels, costing businesses over £20,000 per long-term absence and £13,800 per short-term case. Mental health is now the leading cause of long-term absence - accounting for 41% of all cases:
The UK's largest power plant, Drax, is facing worker lawsuits after the HSE dropped criminal charges over biomass dust in 2023, a Land and Climate Investigation reveals:
landclimate.org/asthma/ & theguardian.com
Knowles Logistics Limited, of Cambridgeshire, has pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 after an employee suffered multiple injuries from a fall from a sugar beet conveyor in November 2023. The company was fined £133,000 plus £5,438 in costs:
Western Business Media has announced the launch of the Women in Safety & Health Awards, which will become a key part of the Health & Safety Matters portfolio. The first awards ceremony will take place on 15 October 2026:
The UK’s largest independent steel stockholder and processor Barrett Steel Limited has been fined £266,000 after an employee was crushed between two lorries, sustaining life-changing injuries at Kass Steel Stockholders in Scunthorpe in February 2022. Barrett pleaded guilty to breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act:
Senior safety professionals who can influence culture, lead transformation, and align health and safety with wider business goals are in growing demand by employers, particularly in construction, infrastructure, and manufacturing, the recruiter Irwin & Colton have said. Hybrid HSE and ESG roles are also on the increase, with roles a blend of safety with environmental and sustainability responsibilities:
Automotive components manufacturer Autostructures UK Ltd has been fined £1.3 million following the death of a maintenance technician at its Telford factory in December 2018. The employee was hit by a 10-tonne flywheel that had been operating without a protective guard for at least two years. The company was fined £1.3mn plus court costs:
Independent consultants Eunomia and the Environmental Services Association (ESA) are calling for government to press ahead with its proposal to introduce a mandatory, producer-funded universal kerbside collection regime for both portable batteries and waste electricals. They claim the scheme would reduce the number of waste fires to just over 100 incidents a year from the current figure of more than 1,200:
Waste and recycling company Stonegrave Aggregates Limited of Pocklington has pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 after an employee was severely injured while cleaning a waste picking line in March 2023. The company was fined £270,000 plus full costs of £15,637:
ExxonMobil has been fined £176,000 over a “preventable and unacceptable” week-long period of continuous flaring at its Mossmorran Ethylene plant in Scotland in 2019, exceeding pollution limits and failing its own standard procedures:
Waste management company Biffa Waste Services of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire has pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 5(1) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 after a worker was killed by a reversing skip wagon in August 2023. The company was fined £2.48 million plus full costs of £5,768.06:
fleetnews.co.uk & ioshmagazine.com
October 2025
The British Standards Institution (BSI) has published a new standard, BS 30417 Provision of Inclusive Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), to help employers ensure PPE fits all workers, addressing long-standing safety, health and retention risks linked to poorly designed kit:
A look at the hazards to employees and complex challenges for health and safety professionals posed by solid particles in industrial and manufacturing environments:
An HSE inspector explains the failings that led to the death of a contractor at Tata Steel’s Port Talbot site on 25 September 2019, and the lessons for industry:
The HSE has announced the launch of a Call for Evidence (CfE) to review the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) and the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations (PSSR). Input is requested from industry stakeholders, professional bodies, and organisations with relevant experience and expertise, with a deadline of 11 November 2025:
In its third webinar in a series on industrial pollution prevention and control, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) explores how Best Available Techniques (BAT) are being used to reduce industrial emissions in the cement production and waste incineration sectors. Watch the replay:
Global glass bottle manufacturer O-I Glass Limited has been fined £600,000 after a worker was burnt by molten glass and hot water at the Glasshouse Loan site in Alloa on 3 February 2024. The company pleaded guilty to Regulation 5 (1) of The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and section 33(1) of Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974:
A look at workplace carcinogens, including asbestos, benzene, diesel emissions, wood dust, formaldehyde, and solar UV radiation, and the need to. implement strong controls:
Sign-fitting company WH Metals Limited of Preston has pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and fined £45,000 plus costs of £4,826 after a worker fell to his death in November 2022. The company’s director pleaded guilty to breaching Section 37 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was given a 26-week custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months:
A new report by the Fabian Society, Nye’s Lost Legacy – Towards a National Occupational Health Service to Keep People Well in Work, calls on the government to create a new Occupational Health Authority within the HSE alongside the introduction of a new growth, skills and health levy to incentivise and support employers to invest in occupational health:
A back-to-basics look at Respiratory Personal Equipment (RPE), air purifying respirators and breathing apparatus:
One in four UK workplaces recorded noise levels that required mandatory hearing protection, yet more than 75% of employees lacked basic knowledge of how to store their equipment, check for damage, or report faults, according to the HSE:
Two companies have been fined following failures at a high-containment facility in Axminster, Devon: Lab 21 Healthcare Ltd, and the site’s previous operator Omega Diagnostics Ltd. Both companies carried out work with high hazard infectious organisms such as Salmonella typhi without providing legally required advanced notification to the HSE. Both pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 7(10) Schedule 3 as well as Regulation 9(1) and 9(2) of COSHH 2002 (as amended):
CSR Performance is totally focused on assisting companies and corporations to meet their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) targets. It does this by providing software solutions which assist the management of CSR issues at all levels within the organisation and which measure CSR performance against targets for defined indicators.
With over 20 years experience to call upon, it has long been recognised by our customers and ourselves that our software products are used and are capable of use to manage much more than the daily operations of health, safety, quality and environment. Changes and extensions to our core product modules and to the investigation, performance and reporting tools and techniques that they use and support, now make a routine contribution to the management of Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR, in its widest sense and to the measurement and reporting of CSR performance.
We therefore thought it was time for a change, with a fresh look at our company and product focus and direction. We will shortly be making several announcements regarding new products and services which are natural additions to our existing, CamHealth® software product range.
CSR Performance Ltd provides systems solutions for CSR. Our services involve the provision of systems for planning, delivery and measurement. We provide analyses of workflow, provision of information, management of operations, measurement of performance and management of corrective actions.
The company is independently owned and operated from the UK. with offices in North America and S.E Asia.
Useful Links
Accountability
www.accountability.org
CSR Europe
www.csreurope.org
CSR Network
www.csrnetwork.com
EA (UK)
www.environment-agency.gov.uk
EPA (USA)
www.epa.gov
EU - CSR
ec.europa.eu/
employment_social
EU - Environment
ec.europa.eu/environment
EU - SHaW
osha.europa.eu/en
GRI
www.globalreporting.org
HSE (UK)
www.hse.gov.uk
OSHA (USA)
www.osha.gov
Responsible Care
www.responsiblecare.org
