UK businesses were fined a grand total of £61m for health and safety breaches in 2016, a new report reveals.
The figure is approximately 148 per cent higher than the amount paid out by British businesses the previous year.
The average fine ballooned to £211,000 – up from just £69,500 in 2015 – despite the fact that only 292 fines were issued in total.
As many as 18 of these exceeded £1m, compared with just two the previous year.
The sudden surge in the cost of fines can be attributed to a legislative shake-up in February 2016, which affected health and safety, food hygiene and corporate manslaughter offences.
Previously, businesses found guilty of committing such offences would have been fined on a ‘one size fits all’ basis depending on the nature of the offence. However, under the new rules, fines for such offences are now handed out proportionate the size of the businesses involved.
Under the new regime, businesses with a turnover of £50m or more can potentially face fines up to £10m for health and safety breaches – while such businesses can also be ordered to pay up to £20m if found guilty of corporate manslaughter.
In 2016, Merlin Entertainments – the group behind amusement park Alton Towers – was fined a record £5m for health and safety breaches, following a “catastrophic” rollercoaster crash that left five people with life-changing injuries.
The £5m fine is the largest ever handed out over a single incident – and could have potentially been higher if Merlin Entertainments had not pleaded guilty in Court.