Compliance Radar
Who was sanctioned, and for what?
Fines, court rulings and incidents from Europe and North America: 756 cases from 32 jurisdictions, each with an official source and checked against that source before publication. Filter by country, area of law and sector. Click a chart to drill down one level.
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Where?
by authority- Birmingham Magistrates' Court (Anklage: Health and Safety Executive) 2 cases 13 % · €719,019
- Aberdeen Sheriff Court (Ermittlung: Health and Safety Executive) 1 case 6 % · €169,756
- Grimsby Magistrates' Court (Anklage: Health and Safety Executive) 1 case 6 % · €46,699
- Health and Safety Executive (Aberdeen Sheriff Court) 1 case 6 % · €61,335
- Health and Safety Executive (Glasgow Sheriff Court) 1 case 6 % · €92,092
- Health and Safety Executive (Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court) 1 case 6 % · €312,098
- Health and Safety Executive (Leeds Magistrates' Court) 1 case 6 % · €460,564
- Health and Safety Executive (Milton Keynes Magistrates' Court) 1 case 6 % · €141,014
- Health and Safety Executive (Sheffield Magistrates' Court) 1 case 6 % · €69,196
- Health and Safety Executive (Southwark Crown Court) 1 case 6 % · €4.37m
- 5 more5 cases
What for?
by topicWho?
by sectorAll sectors
- Food and agriculture 4 cases 25 % · €1.7m
- Steel and metals 4 cases 25 % · €968,591
- Chemicals and pharmaceuticals 3 cases 19 % · €5.14m
- Public sector 2 cases 13 % · €161,288
- Construction and real estate 1 case 6 % · €349,895
- Retail and e-commerce 1 case 6 % · €574,614
- Transport, logistics and shipping 1 case 6 % · €169,756
When?
per quarter, by date of decision| Period | Cases | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2023 | 0 | — |
| Q4 2023 | 2 | €1.38m |
| Q1 2024 | 0 | — |
| Q2 2024 | 0 | — |
| Q3 2024 | 0 | — |
| Q4 2024 | 0 | — |
| Q1 2025 | 0 | — |
| Q2 2025 | 0 | — |
| Q3 2025 | 0 | — |
| Q4 2025 | 1 | €27,501 |
| Q1 2026 | 4 | €1.48m |
| Q2 2026 | 4 | €4.63m |
| Q3 2026 | 5 | €1.54m |
16 cases
16 Sep 2026 Hillbeck Homes (Sowerby Bridge) LtdDeveloper pays £300,000 after agency worker falls through unprotected stairwell opening €349,895
A 24-year-old labourer working as a temporary worker for a scaffolding company fell, in his second week of work on the developer's housing site, through a stairwell opening that was neither securely covered nor guarded, dropping one storey onto concrete and suffering serious spinal injuries. The court found the company guilty on three counts because it had neither adequately planned nor supervised work at height and had not taken suitable measures to prevent falls. Fine of £300,000 plus costs.
Floor openings on construction sites must be covered with load-bearing covers or guarded at all times – new and temporary workers in particular do not know where the hazards are.
Fall protection at openings; induction of new workers
- Authority / court
- Leeds Magistrates' Court (Anklage: Health and Safety Executive)
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents
- Legal basis
- Work at Height Regulations 2005
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Construction and real estate
- Published
- 21 Sep 2026
Original amount 300,000 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 16 Sep 2026.
- Construction company fined after 24-year-old father falls through unprotected stairwell opening (HSE) Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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4 Sep 2026 Samworth Brothers LimitedSamworth Brothers: £594,000 after two workers scalded at steam line €691,518
At the Kettleby Foods plant in Melton Mowbray, an employee and a contractor were scalded with hot water while replacing a leaking gasket on an isolation valve of a steam line (burns to 4–5 % and 9 % of their body surface respectively). The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the task had neither been assessed nor documented as a safe system of work, isolation and lock-off procedures had not been applied, fall protection was missing and supervision was inadequate. Following a guilty plea, a fine of £594,000, plus £6,000 compensation for the injured employee, costs and a victim surcharge.
Maintenance on steam and pressure lines requires a written isolation and lock-off procedure that is supervised on site.
Isolating and locking off equipment during maintenance (lockout/tagout)
- Authority / court
- Birmingham Magistrates' Court (Anklage: Health and Safety Executive)
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents
- Legal basis
- Section 2 Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Food and agriculture
- Published
- 16 Sep 2026
Original amount 594,000 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 4 Sep 2026.
- Food manufacturing giant fined £594,000 after two workers scalded at Melton Mowbray site (HSE) Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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1 Sep 2026 PPS Metal Recycling LtdScrapyard: £40,000 fine after metal pile collapses on father and son €46,699
In February 2025, a pile of scrap collapsed on a father and his son at the metal recycler's site while an excavator had been working near them for around 20 minutes; one of them suffered a broken leg. Pedestrians were separated neither from machinery nor from unstable stockpiles, even though there had been a near miss involving the same excavator shortly before. Fine of £40,000 plus £6,181 costs.
Companies that allow customers or visitors onto a site with machinery must physically separate pedestrians and vehicles and treat near misses as a warning sign.
- Authority / court
- Grimsby Magistrates' Court (Anklage: Health and Safety Executive)
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents
- Legal basis
- Section 3(1) Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Steel and metals
- Mitigating circumstances
- After the accident, a separate unloading zone, signage, supervised procedures and fenced-off walkways were introduced.
- Published
- 2 Sep 2026
Original amount 40,000 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 1 Sep 2026.
- Scrap yard fined after father and son injured by collapsing metal pile (HSE) Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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25 Aug 2026 ExxonMobil Chemical LimitedExxonMobil Chemical: 267,000 GBP for five hydrocarbon leaks at Fife ethylene plant €312,098
Between February 2018 and September 2019, five leaks of highly flammable hydrocarbons occurred at the Mossmorran major hazard site (COMAH upper tier), all caused by corrosion under insulation; around 82 tonnes escaped in one leak. During a routine inspection in May 2019, inspectors of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) smelled escaping gas – the company had known about this leak for around four months and had continued production without additional precautions. The inspection arrangements for insulated pipework were inadequate; fine of 267,000 GBP.
Recurring damage patterns must change the inspection concept – visual inspections from the ground are not sufficient for insulated pipework.
- Authority / court
- Health and Safety Executive (Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court)
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents
- Legal basis
- Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, reg. 6(2); Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, s. 33(1)(c)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Chemicals and pharmaceuticals
- Employees
- 10,000 or more
- Published
- 26 Aug 2026
Original amount 267,000 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 25 Aug 2026.
- Six-figure fine for ExxonMobil after five leaks of extremely flammable hydrocarbons at Fife chemical plant Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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17 Jul 2026 Puratos LimitedPuratos: 120,000 GBP for flour dust above exposure limits and heavy sack handling €141,014
During an inspection in December 2024, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found dust escaping from machinery, blowing down with compressed air and dry sweeping at the bakery ingredients factory; measurements confirmed that workplace exposure limits had been exceeded, with a risk of asthma. In addition, employees lifted 25 kg sacks by hand every day. The site had already been cited in 2021 for the same deficiencies; fine of 120,000 GBP plus 6,270 GBP in costs.
Companies that do not permanently remedy deficiencies after a citation pay significantly more the next time – flour dust is a recognised cause of asthma.
Dust exposure and lifting heavy loads
- Authority / court
- Health and Safety Executive (Milton Keynes Magistrates' Court)
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents
- Legal basis
- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, s. 2(1)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Food and agriculture
- Repeat case
- yes
- Published
- 20 Jul 2026
Original amount 120,000 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 17 Jul 2026.
- Food manufacturer fined £120,000 after workers exposed to hazardous dust and manual handling risks Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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16 Jun 2026 Samson Containers LtdContainer manufacturer ignores notices on welding fume and hearing protection – £30,000 €34,694
Despite improvement notices from September 2024 and February 2025, the manufacturer of skips and metal containers failed to implement any measures against carcinogenic welding fume (mild steel) – with neither extraction nor respiratory protection; in addition, there was no health surveillance for hearing for employees exposed to noise. Fine of £30,000 plus costs.
Regulatory orders on hazardous substances have deadlines – companies that let them lapse will be prosecuted regardless of whether an accident occurs.
- Authority / court
- Warrington Magistrates' Court (Anklage: Health and Safety Executive)
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents
- Legal basis
- Section 33(1)(g) Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (Nichtbefolgung von Improvement Notices)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- unknown
- Sector
- Steel and metals
- Repeat case
- yes
- Published
- 18 Jun 2026
Original amount 30,000 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 16 Jun 2026.
- Skip manufacturer fined £30,000 after failing to protect workers from carcinogenic fumes (HSE) Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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22 May 2026 Streamline Shipping Agencies LimitedAberdeen port agency: £146,700 after forklift accident without traffic separation €169,756
At the Port of Aberdeen, an employee loosening a lorry curtain was struck by a reversing forklift truck and suffered multiple fractures and a degloving injury. Pedestrians and vehicles were not separated during simultaneous loading and unloading. Fine of £146,700.
Loading and manoeuvring areas need firm rules on who may be where and when if forklifts and pedestrians are working at the same time.
- Authority / court
- Aberdeen Sheriff Court (Ermittlung: Health and Safety Executive)
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents
- Legal basis
- Regulation 17(1) Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992; Section 33(1)(c) Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Transport, logistics and shipping
- Published
- 28 May 2026
Original amount 146,700 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 22 May 2026.
- Shipping company fined £146,700 after worker seriously injured by forklift truck (HSE) Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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7 May 2026 Duncan Farms LimitedDuncan Farms: 53,000 GBP because a worker was caught in an unguarded conveyor €61,335
In October 2024, an employee of the egg producer climbed between two running manure conveyors to check a noise and was caught at the in-running nip; he suffered nerve damage to both arms. The drive had no fixed or interlocked guards – instruction and clothing rules alone were not sufficient. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecution resulted in a fine of 53,000 GBP.
Instruction is no substitute for technical safeguards: in-running nips must be protected by fixed or interlocked guards.
Stopping machinery before intervening
- Authority / court
- Health and Safety Executive (Aberdeen Sheriff Court)
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents
- Legal basis
- Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, reg. 11(1) und (2); Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, s. 33(1)(c)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Food and agriculture
- Published
- 13 May 2026
Original amount 53,000 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 7 May 2026.
- Egg farm fined after worker trapped in running conveyor machinery Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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21 Apr 2026 Industrial Chemicals LimitedIndustrial Chemicals: 3.8 million GBP after caustic soda burns – one leg amputated €4.37m
In 2019, an employee stepped into a puddle of caustic soda; his safety boots offered no protection, and his leg had to be amputated below the knee. In 2022, another worker suffered chemical burns during manual decanting. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found leaking pipes and valves, a lack of maintenance, no risk assessment for decanting and untested safety footwear; fine of 3.8 million GBP plus 124,748 GBP in costs.
Leaks of hazardous substances are not a normal state of affairs – maintenance, spill management and tested protective equipment go hand in hand.
Handling corrosive hazardous substances and PPE
- Authority / court
- Health and Safety Executive (Southwark Crown Court)
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents
- Legal basis
- Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, reg. 7(1)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Chemicals and pharmaceuticals
- Published
- 24 Apr 2026
Original amount 3,800,000 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 21 Apr 2026.
- Chemical company fined £3.8 million after investigation into serious chemical burns suffered by two employees Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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18 Feb 2026 Somers Forge LimitedSomers Forge: 750,000 GBP after fatal accident on a 20-metre lathe €859,697
In December 2023, a machinist was caught by a lathe and fatally injured while finishing a rotating workpiece with emery cloth. The forge had not prohibited manual work with emery cloth, had not prevented access to moving parts and had not carried out a risk assessment; the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecution resulted in a fine of 750,000 GBP plus 38,314 GBP in costs.
Expressly prohibit dangerous habitual practices on machine tools and safeguard against them with guarding and instruction.
Safe working on rotating machinery
- Authority / court
- Health and Safety Executive (Walsall Magistrates' Court)
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents
- Legal basis
- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, s. 2(1)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Steel and metals
- Published
- 18 Feb 2026
Original amount 750,000 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 18 Feb 2026.
- Forging company fined over death of employee entangled in lathe Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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28 Jan 2026 Syngenta LtdSyngenta: 400,000 GBP after uncontrolled release of high-pressure steam during maintenance €460,564
While flange bolts were being removed from a steam trap in November 2023, a corroded isolation valve failed and high-pressure steam escaped; the contractor's fitter narrowly escaped serious injury. The agrochemicals group had not maintained work equipment and had not assessed the risk despite known corrosion (only single instead of double isolation). The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecution resulted in a fine of 400,000 GBP plus 8,288 GBP in costs.
Known corrosion requires safer isolation procedures – routine tasks must not mask risks.
Isolation and shut-off during maintenance
- Authority / court
- Health and Safety Executive (Leeds Magistrates' Court)
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents
- Legal basis
- Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, reg. 5(1); Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, reg. 3(1)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Chemicals and pharmaceuticals
- Employees
- 10,000 or more
- Published
- 28 Jan 2026
Original amount 400,000 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 28 Jan 2026.
- Major chemical firm hit with £400,000 fine after dangerous steam release Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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19 Jan 2026 Derbyshire ConstabularyDerbyshire Constabulary: 60,000 GBP after burn injuries during Molotov cocktail training €69,196
During a public order training exercise in February 2021, police officers wearing flame-retardant protective clothing had petrol bombs thrown at them; four officers suffered burns with permanent scarring. There was no information on the service life and testing of the PPE, no risk assessment for the manufacture and use of the petrol bombs, and no safe systems of work. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecution resulted in a fine of 60,000 GBP plus 9,470 GBP in costs.
Realistic operational training also needs a risk assessment and tested protective equipment.
Safety in high-risk exercises and PPE testing
- Authority / court
- Health and Safety Executive (Sheffield Magistrates' Court)
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents
- Legal basis
- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, s. 2(1)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Public sector
- Published
- 20 Jan 2026
Original amount 60,000 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 19 Jan 2026.
- Derbyshire police prosecuted for failing to protect officers Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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8 Jan 2026 Glasgow City CouncilGlasgow City Council: 80,000 GBP after collapse of a rusted-through lamp post €92,092
In June 2023, a lamp post dating from the 1950s/60s, whose steel at the base was at least 60 % rusted through, fell over and seriously injured a pedestrian. The post had been rated as poor in 2022 but was not scheduled for replacement until 2024; the council's visual inspections did not identify the acute risk of collapse. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecution resulted in a fine of 80,000 GBP.
Inspection regimes for ageing infrastructure must prioritise findings and trigger immediate action where there is acute danger.
- Authority / court
- Health and Safety Executive (Glasgow Sheriff Court)
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents
- Legal basis
- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, s. 3(1)
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Public sector
- Published
- 12 Jan 2026
Original amount 80,000 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 8 Jan 2026.
- Glasgow City Council fined £80,000 after military veteran struck by collapsing lamppost Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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5 Dec 2025 FMP West Midlands LimitedMetal polishing firm: fine after crush injury on unguarded tube polishing machine €27,501
While feeding a tube polishing machine that had no guarding and defective rollers, an employee's hand was drawn into the machine; one finger was partially severed and two others were crushed. The business had not prevented access to dangerous machine parts. Fine of £24,000 plus costs.
In-running nips on rollers must be protected by fixed guards; defective machines must be taken out of service, not kept running.
- Authority / court
- Birmingham Magistrates' Court (Anklage: Health and Safety Executive)
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents
- Legal basis
- Regulation 11(1) Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Steel and metals
- Published
- 8 Dec 2025
Original amount 24,000 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 5 Dec 2025.
- Metal polishing company fined after employee's hand crushed in machinery (HSE) Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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22 Nov 2023 McCain Foods (G.B.) LimitedMcCain Foods: £700,000 after finger amputation while cleaning a machine €804,320
An employee lost two fingers when his hand was drawn into a rotary valve while he was removing a piece of string from a chute on a breading line. The HSE criticised missing guarding, an inadequate risk assessment and inadequate training. Fine of £700,000 plus costs.
Cleaning and fault clearance are high-risk activities – guarding and training must cover precisely these situations.
Safe cleaning of machinery only when stopped
Missing or inadequate training played a role in the decision.
- Authority / court
- Lincoln Magistrates' Court (Anklage: Health and Safety Executive)
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents
- Legal basis
- Section 2(1) Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974; Regulation 11(1) Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Food and agriculture
- Published
- 22 Nov 2023
Original amount 700,000 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 22 Nov 2023.
- McCain Foods fined after employee loses fingers (HSE) Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link
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8 Nov 2023 The Barcode Warehouse LtdFatal forklift accident without seatbelt: Barcode Warehouse pays £500,000 €574,614
A 35-year-old forklift driver died at the Newark site when his counterbalance forklift truck overturned after striking a kerb; he was not wearing a seatbelt and was trapped under the overhead guard. The company had not enforced the requirement to wear seatbelts and had not adequately assessed its forklift operations. Fine of £500,000 plus costs.
A seatbelt requirement only helps if supervisors check it and consistently address breaches.
Seatbelt use and safe driving of forklift trucks
- Authority / court
- Nottingham Magistrates' Court (Anklage: Health and Safety Executive)
- Area of law
- Health and safety and employment law · Workplace safety and accidents
- Legal basis
- Section 2(1) Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
- Action
- Fine
- Status of proceedings
- final
- Sector
- Retail and e-commerce
- Published
- 8 Nov 2023
Original amount 500,000 GBP, converted at the ECB reference rate of 8 Nov 2023.
- Manufacturing company fined half-a-million pounds after forklift truck death (HSE) Press release of an authority
Checked against the official source on 25 Sep 2026 · Direct link