Last reviewed: 20 July 2026. Figures and rules can change – always confirm on the official links.

Recent HSE prosecutions and the fines handed down to UK employers in 2024 to 2025 totalled 246 criminal cases, securing a 96% conviction rate, with fines in 2026 ranging from £16,667 to £425,000 and multiple directors receiving custodial sentences. For businesses in Wymondham, Norwich, Attleborough, Thetford and Dereham, the message is clear: HSE enforcement is active, consistent and costly.

HSE also issued over 4,400 notices in 2024 to 2025, including approximately 3,200 Improvement Notices and 1,200 notices prohibiting work activity placing people at risk of death or serious injury. 126 workers died in work-related incidents in 2025/26. The question for every employer is straightforward: would your risk assessment, training records and control measures survive an HSE inspection today?

Recent HSE Prosecutions and the Fines Handed Down to UK Employers

In July 2026, Bertschi UK Limited was fined £425,000 and ordered to pay costs of £119,258 at Teesside Crown Court on 17 July 2026 following a fall from a mobile loading ramp that resulted in a worker’s death. The same month, Varcity Living Limited was fined £50,000 and ordered to pay £10,080 in costs at Llandudno Magistrates’ Court on 9 July 2026 following the death of a teenage apprentice. Alexander Robson received an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, at South Tyneside Magistrates Court on 14 July 2026 for illegal gas work.

Earlier in 2026, the fines continued. Recycling Material Supplies Limited was fined £167,000 and ordered to pay £16,195 costs at Southwark Crown Court on 5 May 2026 for dangerously stockpiled skips. Jerram Falkus Construction Limited was fined £42,200, a surcharge of £2000 and ordered to pay £5000 in costs at City of London Magistrates Court on 18 March 2026 following a work at height death. In February 2026, Israel Jackson was jailed for 12 months at Croydon Crown Court on 4 February 2026 for fraudulent gas work.

January 2026 saw Syngenta Ltd fined £400,000 and ordered to pay costs of £8,288 at Leeds Magistrates’ Court on 28 January 2026 following a maintenance worker’s death. Tracel Ltd was fined £27,200 and ordered to pay £30,000 in costs at Luton Magistrates’ Court on 8 January 2026 for metalworking fluids risk.

The pattern is consistent across 2025 cases. Research and Development in Opening Gates Limited was fined £80,000 (£40,000 for each offence) and ordered to pay £7,495.72 in costs, along with a £2,000 victim surcharge at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court on 12 June 2025 for repeatedly ignoring HSE enforcement notices. Nottingham City Homes Limited was fined £32,000 and ordered to pay £6,226 in costs at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on 3 November 2025 for vibration exposure causing ill-health. Knowles Logistics Limited was fined £133,000 and ordered to pay £5,438 in costs at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on 24 October 2025 following a fall from height.

Full details of these and other prosecutions are published on the HSE prosecutions news page and the HSE convictions database.

Common Breach Types

Recent cases show HSE’s focus areas have remained consistent:

• Work at height: falls, inadequate scaffolding and edge protection
• Machinery safety: unguarded equipment, inadequate isolation
• Illegal or fraudulent gas work
• Chemical exposure: metalworking fluids, corrosive substances
• Vibration exposure
• Vehicle and workplace transport safety
• Inadequate risk assessment and supervision

In June 2026, Samson Containers Ltd faced prosecution after the company failed to act on two separate HSE improvement notices issued in September 2024 and February 2025 concerning welding fume exposure. Ignoring an improvement notice does not make it go away; it accelerates prosecution.

Sentencing Framework

The definitive guidelines for sentencing health and safety offences, corporate manslaughter and food safety and hygiene offences were published on 3 November 2015 and came into force on 1 February 2016. These guidelines link sentence severity to culpability, harm and company turnover. Cases are published 9 weeks following conviction to account for the appeals process and internal quality assurance, according to HSE enforcement statistics.

For Norfolk businesses, the financial exposure can be severe. A £425,000 fine, plus costs exceeding £100,000, represents a significant commercial blow. For smaller companies, even a £30,000 fine and costs can be critical. Director disqualification, custodial sentences and reputational damage compound the direct financial penalty.

What Norfolk Employers Must Do Now

Every business in Wymondham, Norwich, Attleborough, Thetford and Dereham must ensure:

• Risk assessments are current, site-specific and signed off by a competent person
• COSHH assessments cover every hazardous substance in use, with control measures in place and recorded
• Working at height is planned, supervised and controlled with appropriate equipment and training
• Machinery is guarded, maintained and operated by trained staff
• Vibration and noise exposure is monitored, and health surveillance is in place where required
• Improvement and Prohibition Notices are acted on immediately and fully

We provide site-specific health and safety consultancy, including risk assessments, COSHH assessments, fire risk assessments and noise assessments. Our team includes CMIOSH and MIIRSM professionals: David Field (MD, CMIOSH MIIRSM RSP) and Alec Rodwell (Director, CMIOSH MIIRSM Dip RSA).

We also deliver accredited safety training from our Wymondham training centre or on your site, including IOSH Managing Safely, IOSH Working Safely, working at height training, and AITT-accredited forklift and lift-truck training. Our first aid courses and specialist training cover the skills your team needs to manage risk day-to-day.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is HSE’s current conviction rate?

HSE achieved a 96% conviction rate across 246 prosecutions completed in 2024 to 2025, according to HSE press releases.

How many enforcement notices did HSE issue in 2024/25?

HSE issued over 4,400 notices in 2024 to 2025, including approximately 3,200 Improvement Notices and 1,200 notices prohibiting work activity placing people at risk of death or serious injury.

Can directors be sent to prison for health and safety breaches?

Yes. In 2026, Alexander Robson was sentenced to eight months imprisonment, suspended for two years, on 14 July 2026 at South Tyneside Magistrates Court for illegal gas work. Israel Jackson was jailed for 12 months at Croydon Crown Court on 4 February 2026 for fraudulent gas work. Custodial sentences are reserved for the most serious breaches, but they are being handed down.

What should I do if I receive an HSE Improvement Notice?

Act immediately. The notice will specify the breach, the action required and the deadline. Failure to comply is a separate offence and accelerates prosecution. In June 2026, Samson Containers Ltd faced prosecution after failing to act on two separate HSE improvement notices issued in September 2024 and February 2025. If you receive a notice, contact a competent health and safety advisor without delay.

How often should risk assessments be reviewed?

Risk assessments must be reviewed whenever there is significant change—new equipment, new processes, an incident or near-miss, or new staff. They should also be reviewed periodically even when nothing has changed, typically annually as a minimum. An out-of-date or generic risk assessment will not satisfy HSE in the event of an inspection or incident.

Get Your Risk Assessment and Training Right

The 2024-26 prosecution figures show that HSE enforcement is consistent, thorough and costly. A fine of £425,000, combined with six-figure legal costs and reputational damage, far exceeds the cost of getting compliance right in the first place.

We have been advising Norfolk businesses since 1978. Our Wymondham training centre and on-site consultancy services give you access to CMIOSH-qualified advisors and accredited training that meets AITT, IOSH and Safety Pass Alliance standards. We hold 52 Google reviews at a 5.0 average.

Call us on 01953 607093 or visit our contact page to arrange a compliance review, book training or discuss your risk assessment needs. Our office is at Unit 9, Philip Ford Way, Silfield Road, Wymondham, Norfolk NR18 9AQ, and we deliver across Wymondham, Norwich, Attleborough, Thetford and Dereham.