Jailing over Health and Safety
There is an important question about how often individuals are jailed when it comes to safety and health breaches. This question has now been asked in light of Andrew Hartley’s sentencing to three years with an added year for safety breaches. He was jailed after a woman died due to negligent work.
The Department of Health stated that there are around 50 accidental deaths from CO poisoning every year. This is based on England and Wales. About 200 non-fatal poisonings are reported each year. Blocked chimneys, inadequate ventilation, or poor installation are some of the reasons for the poisoning. Incorrect maintenance of appliances is another reason for CO poisoning. The HSE does health and safety audits when there is a death or incident involving CO poisoning to find the cause, but only about 15 deaths of CO poisoning are ever referred to the courts each year. It should also be noted that in terms of health and safety breaches those jailed for them is a single digit number. Of those that are prosecuted and jailed, many are gas fitters. This happens for a couple of reasons. Many are usually self-employed so they can be held accountable rather than the business. Secondly, gas work that is done unsafely is very serious. It can put a number of people at risk. There is a current campaign to make certain that people are aware of the dangers of CO poisoning.
