Posted By Eric Burt Alan Only a £5000 fine ! On Sunday I read the case of a driver who was sent to prison for 2 weeks after refusing to pay his fine for driving at 38mph on a 30mph road. Am I missing something here? Eric

Posted By Diane Thomason I find the most depressing thing about this case is that the boss STILL doesn't understand and accept that he has responsibility for his employees' safety.

Posted By Simon Ayee The follwing link takes yo to HSE's press release from June last year: http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2003/e03103.htm Ford were fined £300,000 "Ford Motor Company, Eagle Way, Brentwood, Essex was fined £250,000 for breaches of Sections 3(1) and £50,000 for breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The company pleaded guilty to the charges of failing to ensure the safety of its employees and non-employees using the EPOC tank at Philip Services Europe in Southampton. They also had to pay an additional £46,688 towards the costs of bringing the prosecutions. .............. After the sentencing, HSE investigating inspector Andrew Stretton said: “The HSE is pleased with the outcome of what has been a complex case. We worked closely with Hampshire police during this investigation to bring it to a satisfactory conclusion. The judge made it clear that Ford fell far short of the accepted health and safety standards that then resulted in this tragic accident. “The fine sends out a clear message of the legal requirement to ensure proper control of contracted companies.” Paul MacKenzie, Director Philip Services (Europe) Ltd and Peter Preston, Field Services Manager, Philip Services (Europe) Ltd pleaded guilty to separate breaches of duties under Section 37 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and were fined £5,000 each. The Section 2 charge of the Health and Safety at Work 1974 against Philip Services (Europe) Ltd was dropped, as the company no longer exists in this country." It is interesting that the prosecution was brought before the inquest in this case.