The Health and Safety (Offences) Act 2008

14 January 2009

From January 2009, employers and other dutyholders who breach health and safety laws face the prospect of tough new penalties,

From January 2009, employers and other dutyholders who breach health and safety laws face the prospect of tough new penalties, including higher fines and the possibility of imprisonment for a wider range of offences.

Under the Health and Safety (Offences) Act 2008, which came intop force in Great Britain and Northern Ireland on 16 January 2009, amends Section 33 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HSW Act) to:

raise the maximum fine available in the lower (magistrates') courts for regulatory offences
make imprisonment an option for more health and safety offences in both the lower and higher courts
make two offences currently triable only in the lower courts - contravening any requirement imposed by an inspector and preventing a person from appearing before an inspector or from answering their questions - triable in the higher courts as well.

Health	Safety	Professional Skills	Industry
Asbestos Chemicals (and COSHH) Disability Discrimination Act Ergonomics Musculoskeletal disorders Noise Sickness absence Stress/bullying Vibration Asthma Display Screen Equipment (DSE) Drugs and alcohol Risk assessment Legionnaire's disease Accident reduction Enforcement (prosecutions) Mental health New and expectant mothers Older workers Safe systems of work Smoking	Fire Directors' duties HSE Personal protective equipment (PPE) Work at height Road safety Risk assessment Corporate manslaughter Chemicals (and COSHH) Electrical safety Lifting operations Migrant workers Regulation Asbestos Confined spaces Accident reduction Accident reporting / RIDDOR First aid Safe systems of work Drugs and alcohol Emergency planning Enforcement (prosecutions) Insurance Lone workers Manual handling New and expectant mothers Noise Slips, trips, and falls Training Violence at work Work equipment Worker involvement / representation Workplace transport Young workers	Ask the recruitment expert Management skills Qualifications Training Training guides	Catering and leisure Chemicals Construction Public services Retail and distribution Transport Utilities Financial / general services Manufacturing / engineering