Health And Safety (Offences) Act 2008 - How will it effect you?

Health & Safety Act 2008As of the January 2009 the new Health and Safety Offences Act 2008 came into effect, the act will have the effect of increasing the penalties for breaking health and safety laws and also provide courts with greater sentencing powers and the ability to impose higher fines for some health and safety offences. Some of the Act’s main points are,

• Increasing the maximum fine in the Magistrate Courts to £20,000 for most health and safety offences.
• Imprisonment an option for more health and safety offences in both the Magistrate Court and the Crown Courts without the need for indictment.
• Certain offences are now triable not only in the Magistrate Courts but now in the Crown Courts which can result in longer sentences and larger fines.

A full Health and Safety (Offences) Act 2008 is available to view on the Office of Public Sector Information website at http://www.opsi.gov.uk/.