Latest News and Case Studies
Case Studies
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Latest News
June 2025
The week of May 12-18 was designated as Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK, with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) urging businesses to implement or revisit the "5Rs" (Recognise, Respond, Recover, Re-integrate, and Return):
At the International Healthy Working Lives Summit, co-hosted by IOSH and the International Social Security Association (ISSA) this month, Dame Carol Black, Chair of the Centre for Ageing Better cited the alarming figure of 300,000 individuals who exit the workforce each year due to work-limiting health conditions:
Lloyd’s Register Foundation has launched a new Global Safety Evidence Centre to collate, create and communicate the best available safety evidence, including on workplace accidents and injuries. The evidence gathering from the independent global safety charity, its partners and other reliable and high-quality OSH sources is backed by a £15 million investment over 10 years:
East Riding Sacks Ltd, of York, a manufacturer of paper sacks, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 after a night shift worker fell to his death from machinery in 2023. The company was fined £533,000 and ordered to pay £6,066 in costs:
After years of exposing workers to respirable crystalline silica dust, and other H&S failings, kitchen worktop manufacturer Inova Stone Ltd. of Slough has pleaded guilty to breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act, as well as three counts of failing to comply with legal improvement notices. The company received a £60,000 fine plus £7,363 in court costs:
press.hse.gov.uk & Guidance materials on safety when working with stone: workright.campaign.gov.uk
Research has shown that 96% of UK companies now invest in some level of mental health support services for employees. But beneath the progress lies the risk of neglecting a large and the fastest growing segment of the workforce – older workers:
Nat Pal Limited of Fakenham has pleaded guilty to a charge contrary to Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act, 1974, in that it failed to ensure, so far as was reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of its employees, as it failed to manage the risks created by operating a wood-working business. The company was fined £40,000 and ordered to pay costs of £4,072:
www.theconstructionindex.co.uk
Industrial Chemicals Ltd of West Thurrock, Essex, has been fined £2.4 million in relation to charges under the Health and Safety at Work Act and a further £100,000 in relation to charges under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016. The two incidents occurred in 2020, with uncontrolled releases of hydrochloric acid and sulphuric acid:
THE BRITISH Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) is calling on UK workers to share their real-life experiences of how Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) has saved them from serious injury, or even death, while on the job. To contribute, use #PPEsaves on social media or contact marketing@bsif.co.uk.
The EU Green Week 2025 in Brussels 3-5 June spotlights the transformative power of circular solutions, sustainability, and environmental policy. It will delve into how circular economy practices can drive sustainable competitiveness, reduce waste, and shape the future of environmental policy across Europe:
May 2025
Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, employers have a legal obligation to provide a working environment safe and free from health risks, including those brought about by extreme weather conditions. Here’s an overview on health and safety protocols to beat high workplace temperatures:
Cambridgeshire County Council pleaded guilty to two offences under section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. It has been fined £6mn plus £292,460.90 for serious safety failings on its Guided Busway that led to three deaths and multiple injuries over a ten-year period. The Guided Busway, being a unique form of public transport infrastructure, did not fall clearly under the standard categories typically enforced by either the HSE or local authorities. This ambiguity led to initial uncertainty over which agency was responsible for its safety enforcement:
According to new research by Towergate Employee Benefits, 54% of UK employers provide support for mental and social health, 52% provide support for social wellbeing, 44% for physical health and wellbeing, and 43% for financial health. Most shockingly, 9% of employers provide no health and wellbeing support at all. With 33.86 million people currently employed in the UK, that amounts to over 3 million employees:
Two UK companies have been honoured for their innovative workplace safety designs that reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in their operations. Ainscough Crane Hire has won the MSD Risk Reduction through Design Award 2024/25, while UPM Raflatac Ltd has received the Small to Medium Enterprise (SME) Recognition Award:
Sussex-based Truffles Bakers and Confectioners Limited has pleaded guilty to a breach of Regulation 11(1) of The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 after an employee lost part of his left index finger in machinery in December 2023. The company was fined £12,000 plus £3,045.65 costs:
New research by Eunomia for the Environmental Services Association (ESA) shows that implementing universal kerbside collections for waste batteries and small electricals across the UK could save £6bn over the next decade:
Researchers from the University of Glasgow have found that slag, an industrial waste product from the steel industry, is turning into solid rock in as little as 35 years - challenging centuries of understanding of the planet’s geological processes:
The Corry Review recommends a number of changes to the way environmental regulation operates. Delivering Economic Growth and Nature Recovery: An Independent Review of Defra’s Regulatory Landscape, produced by economist Dan Corry, sets out 29 recommendations intended to have “a system level impact”:
The Department for Work and Pensions has reappointed Sarah Newton as Chair of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Board. Sarah Newton has led HSE since 2020. Her reappointment will last for two years starting from 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2027:
Five years on from the first UK lockdown, office brokers Click Offices have analysed data from across the UK to see the impact of burnout on the workforce:
Are comfort and safety mutually exclusive? Improving wear rates of protective uniforms, a new report from Alsico on UK industries where electrical systems are present and protective uniforms must be worn (including electrical engineers, power plant workers, and road workers), has revealed that only 40% of professionals agreed to always wearing every part of the uniform provided to them:
April 2025
The huge ‘Health & Safety Event› is on in Hall 3, NEC, Birmingham, from Tuesday 8 April until Thursday 10 April. Registration is free:
As of 31 March 2025 (31 March 2027 for micro-firms), all workplaces (businesses and non-domestic premises) in England have a legal duty to present the following wastes separated in accordance with the arrangements with their waste collector: dry recyclable materials - plastic, metal, glass, paper and card; food waste; and black bin waste (residual waste):
As we approach Global Asbestos Awareness Week (April 1 – 7), the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is reminding those running businesses occupying buildings built before 2000 to properly assess, manage and monitor asbestos risks in line with the law:
A new international workplace study by real-estate firm JLL places British workers as among the most reluctant to return to office-based working after the COVID pandemic. This significant cultural shift could have lasting consequences for office occupancy and commercial property – but also demands effective management to prevent worker disengagement, low productivity, and high staff turnover:
Surface Technik (Old Hill) Limited of Dudley (now in liquidation) has been found guilty of a breach of Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and fined £90,000 plus costs of £28,956 after a worker fell 20 feet to his death dismantling a steel cleaning machine on 29 June 2018:
Work-related ill-health is costing the UK economy over £415 million a week. According to new analysis published by TUC, the number of days lost due to health conditions – including stress, depression and anxiety – has shot up by a third since 2010. In 2023 to 2024, 34 million working days were lost to work-related ill-health, compared to 22 million in 2010:
AB Agri Limited of Weston Centre, Grosvenor Street, London, an animal feed manufacturer, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, and was fined £566,000 plus costs of £6,410 after an employee’s lower arm was severed when it became entangled in a conveyor in November 2021:
Shockingly, 90% of PPE inspected by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) fails to comply with regulations. ‘PPE Saves Lives’, a ‘Health and Safety Matters’ webinar with the British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) focused on examples of inadequate PPE products, and how to source compliant PPE under Great Britain’s current legal framework:
hsmsearch.com. Watch the 1-hour webinar here: wbmwebinars.com/not-fit-for-work/register
On 31 March 2025 the UK Chemicals Helpline telephone services line 0330 159 1985 for the Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR), Prior Informed Consent Regulation (PIC) and Classification, Labelling and Packaging Regulation (CLP) will be closing, and support reverting to the HSE. The line will remain open for UK REACH enquiries:
New data reveals that almost half of UK employees believe their job poses a risk to their eye health, yet many workplaces are failing to implement adequate safety measures:
A new blog series from IOSH looks at the growing need for occupational safety and health (OSH) professionals to help protect workers from the effects of climate change. In the opening blog, Ria Sooknarine, Communications Coordinator for the Hazardous Industries Group, assesses the health and safety challenges of rising sea levels:
Advice on selecting the right ergonomic chair to reduce musculoskeletal problems and comply with the PUWER (Provision and Use of Work Equipment) regulations:
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published its 2025 Annual Science Review highlighting the range of research that HSE scientists are working on, from the safe introduction of hydrogen technologies to assessing the evidence for safe levels of exposure to various toxicological hazards. Download here:
March 2025
West Fraser (Europe) Ltd, formerly known as Norbord, a multi-national manufacturer of wood-based products, has been fined more than £1 million after two workers were injured in separate incidents at its Cowie plant in 2020. The company failed to comply with regulations 11(1) and (2) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, and sections 33(1)(a), 33(1)(c), and 4(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974:
An inspection programme by Britain’s workplace regulator has led to major safety improvements in the offshore industry. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspected 13 production operators between January 2022 and May 2024 as part of its Process Safety Leadership Principles (PSLP) programme.
The International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) is working with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and its Product Safety and Market Surveillance Unit (PSMSU) to ensure a shared understanding of emergency stop functionality requirements for Mobile Elevating Work Platforms:
Vanessa Harwood-Whitcher, the Chief Executive of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) has expressed concern about the potential removal of funding for Level 7 occupational safety and health (OSH) apprenticeships:
Free registration for Health and Safety Matters Live on 4 June 2025 at the Coventry Building Society Arena is now open. The one-day, free-to-attend conference and exhibition is co-located with a NEBOSH alumni event:
A new White Paper from IOSH, iosh.com/about/what-we-do/white-papers/a-platform-for-success, calls on the Government to ensure gig economy workers have the same employment rights and health and safety protections as those in more secure jobs, and seeks alternatives to zero-hour contracts.
An interdisciplinary network of engineers, policymakers, industry stakeholders and social scientists, led by the University of Surrey’s Centre for Vision, Speech and Signal Processing (CVSSP), has received funding of over £1.8 million to promote conscious design processes to address UK noise pollution:
A recent study commissioned by BKV GmbH analyses the current availability of post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials and forecasts demand up to 2030. The results show that despite expected improvements in recycling infrastructure, significant supply shortages are looming:
Cleveland Steel and Tubes Ltd has been fined £250,000 after a worker died in November 2022 after becoming trapped in an unguarded machine holding a five-tonne pipe. The company pleaded guilty to one offence under Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998:
With 1.16 million workers in the UK aged 66 or older, organisations must be proactive in reassessing and adjusting their health and safety procedures, policies and measures to ensure they adequately protect and support older workers:
Circular Online examines the top 10 technological innovations that are set to shape waste management goals in sustainability and efficiency in 2025:
February 2025
A debate on the Consumer Products (Control of Biocides) Bill Second Reading was held in the House of Lords on 17 January 2025:
2024 has been a transformative year for offshore oil and gas safety, with Red Zone monitoring becoming a cornerstone of operational best practices:
David Head, Head of Safety Marketing at Draeger Safety UK, provider of medical and safety technology products, reports on five trends in workplace safety to watch in 2025:
As the UK reduces its reliance on coal and oil, Aniqah Majid speaks to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) about risk factors to look out for as assets age and operators look to repurpose them:
Builders’ merchant Travis Perkins have been fined £2m plus £85,000 costs after part of a timber load fell off one of its lorries on the A26 and into the windscreen of an oncoming car, killing the driver. The company admitted three offences contrary to the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974:
British Safety Council has teamed up with Dr. Tim Marsh, a world-leading safety psychologist, to publish a collection of his writing on health, safety and wellbeing in a book ‘Tim Marsh’s Musings: Wisdom and Wit from a Safety Psychologist’:
IOSH’s Eloise Byrne explores the societal perceptions and potential stigma associated with refuse collection work and how occupational safety and health (OSH) professionals can influence change:
2023 marked a significant spike in suicide rates in England and Wales, reaching their highest levels since 1999. Paul Verrico, partner at Eversheds Sutherland, highlights the increasing risk of corporate manslaughter cases and regulatory interest in occupational health:
Lord Patrick Vallance has emphasised plans for a close collaboration between the government and private sector, in line with the Labour Party’s plan to reestablish the country as a clinical research hub:
The British Safety Industry Federation is urging buyers and wearers of PPE to review their stocks and replace old and damaged items after a member survey showed outdated and poorly maintained PPE is in use across UK workplaces:
The new EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CS3D) entered into force on 25 July 2024. Which businesses will be affected?:
January 2025
The UK’s national regulator for health and safety, the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), celebrated its 50th Anniversary on 1 January. It was created by the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, and has played a central role in reducing workplace death and injury. In 1974, 651 employees were killed at work; HSE’s latest annual statistics for 2023/24 show that number had reduced to 138:
HSE.
In related news, Dr. Simon Walker, senior occupational health researcher, member of the University of Glasgow’s Healthy Working Lives Group, and grandson of Labour MP Harold Walker, stands up for the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974:
In the New Year’s honours list the Chief Executive of the HSE, Sarah Albon has been appointed a Companion of the Order of Bath for her services to the public sector:
Plastics manufacturer FloPlast Limited of Sittingbourne, Kent, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and fined £400,000 plus £5,567 in costs after an employee was seriously injured by a forklift truck in July 2023:
2024 saw million pound or more fines for the likes of Openreach, Samworth Brothers Limited (Ginsters), and Tata Chemicals, but also for smaller firms, for unsafe working conditions, missing or insufficient risk assessments, and failing to implement their own safety policies. Here are Safety & Health Practitioner’s Top 10 health and safety prosecutions of 2024:
New data published by the Office for National Statistics shows that there has been no change in health improvement since 2011, as the percentage of people who reported being in “very good” or “good” health increased by only 1%. In response, the Royal Society for Public Health are calling for an increased proportion of the health budget to be spent on preventative services (less than 8% in 2022), rather than in acute settings:
Over 1.6mn work-related illnesses have been reported in the UK during the last 12 months. Data from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) reveals that mental health issues (stress, depression, and anxiety) alone accounted for 776,000 cases - 46% of all work-related illnesses. Here are actionable steps employers can take to promote health and well-being in the workplace:
International drinks manufacturer Diageo Scotland Limited has been fined £500,000 after an employee sustained burns to over 30% of his body when pot ale erupted from a pipe at 104 degrees Celsius at the Glenlossie Distillery Complex, Elgin in March 2021. The company pleaded guilty to breaching Sections 2(1), 2(2)(a), 2(2)(c), 33(1)(a) and 33(1)(c) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974:
There are around 22,000 fires in the workplace across the UK each year, with a massive 25% caused by faulty or misused electrical equipment. IOSH look at the 8 most common causes and how to reduce the risks:
In December 2024, the Fulmar A platform operated by Repsol was served with a prohibition notice by the HSE. It was the fifth time the HSE had reprimanded Repsol in 2024, and the third time it had involved problems with the deluge system. The industry publication ‘Energy Voice’ had previously raised concerns about the issues on Fulmar A, and how industry use of the “fail fix” equipment test puts North Sea oil and gas workers at risk of fire:
The British Safety Council is the latest signatory to the ‘Battery Breakdown’ campaign run by Electrical First which seeks to raise awareness of risks from e-batteries and to improve their safety:
A comprehensive report from Electrical First can be downloaded www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/battery-breakdown
Surrey-based plastic manufacturing company Brand Energy and Infrastructure Services UK Ltd, trading as Lyndon SGB, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined £1.6mn plus £23,194 in costs after the death of an employee during a lifting operation using a lorry mounted crane in August 2019:
How to undertake a risk assessment for the use of hydrogen as an alternative energy source in a range of industries is set out in the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 (DSEAR):
HSE.
In related news, a new report, ‘Powering Growth – The Role of Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engines in Non-Road Mobile Machinery’ provides recommendations for advancing hydrogen engines in the UK’s off-road machinery market in sectors including construction, agriculture, mining and forestry:
A health and safety manager for leading seafood supplier Orkney Fisherman's Society (now Orkney Crab Ltd) who quit the job he had held for 27 years when they ignored his repeated concerns over processing of rotting dead crabs has won an initial £9,256 in compensation for constructive and unfair dismissal. The company also failed to comply with The Transfer of Undertakings Regulations. Further compensation will be decided at a later date:
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