Scotland’s solicitor general fears companies across the country could be using the recession as an excuse to cut corners and risking the safety of staff.
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service’s new health and safety division has had to investigate 125 organisations in its first year.
The launch of the division, which is currently investigating the 85N Super Puma crash off Peterhead on April 1 last year, has been hailed as a success.
More than 20 cases have been resolved without the need for trials by securing early guilty pleas from the accused, sparing victims and witnesses court appearances.
Last night Solicitor General Frank Mulholland QC said he hopes the division’s early accomplishments will act as a deterrent to firms who think that the recent economic crisis makes it acceptable to cut corners.
“We want a deterrent message out there – we would rather there were no health and safety breaches and no prosecutions, so there is no grieving family,” he said.
“Hopefully the expertise and the focus that the unit is giving to the area will in some way act as a deterrent and get the message out to employers that, although we are in a recession and money is tight, it is not a good idea to cut costs with health and safety.”
He added: “The unit has dealt with 125 investigations in its first year. It has received 89 prosecution reports, 25 of which referred to health and safety breaches with fatalities.
“There have been 27 successful prosecutions – all the cases that have been concluded in the first year have resulted in convictions and, interestingly, they have all pled guilty.
“The total amount of fines levied across the courts is £653,950.”
The highest individual fine so far, £96,000, was handed to Leiths (Scotland) after a worker was crushed to death by a five-tonne digger in Moray.
Arthur Jamieson, 58, of Aultmore, near Keith, was working under the digger on November 21, 2008, at Parkmore Quarry, Dufftown, when it rolled back and crushed him, causing him to suffocate.
With three dedicated units based in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow, the division is led by senior prosecutor Elaine Taylor with a total of 16 staff who work closely with the Health and Safety Executive, local authorities and other agencies who report health and safety cases to the crown.
Ms Taylor said: “Health and safety is not an optional extra, people need to be protected when they go to work. There are cases that I open that I would describe as absolute madness – you can’t quite understand the events that have taken place. And the solutions are so simple.”
Ian Tasker, the Scottish Trades Union Congress assistant secretary, said: “The STUC welcomed the formation of the new division as we feel it is vitally important that health and safety cases are prosecuted effectively and quickly. One of the positive messages we are picking up from bereaved families is the improved communication between families and prosecutors; one of the main complaints families raised with us before the division was formed.”