An enforcement policy statement published by the Health and Safety Commission for the first time sets out specific criteria for deciding whether to investigate and prosecute breaches of health and safety law.
It says prosecution should normally take place in a number of circumstances, including: when a workplace death is caused by a breach of law; if health and safety requirements have been recklessly disregarded; and if health and safety management is far below what is required.
The policy, which applies to all Britain’s enforcing authorities, including the Health and Safety Executive, can be seen at www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/hsc15.pdf.
