Posted By Simon Carrier I am trying to ascertain if a Company with third party certified HS&E systems would recieve a lesser fine than a company who did not have such systems in place. To expand if a company had ISO14001 and had a major spill, generally, could they expect a lesser fine than a company who did not have ISO14001. Would it be reasonable to assume that a lesser fine would be imposed? I would be obliged if someone could let me know if such information is available and where I might find it. If someone has any personal experiences of this that would be useful also.

Posted By Ian Waldram Why are you thinking only about what might go wrong, rather than expecting that a certified MS will help you to get more things right - and thereby bring bottom line benefits, including a reduced likelihood of a prosecution and fine - regardless of its size? Any system worth its salt is based on a continual improvement model - see the IOSH guide on 'Systems in Focus', downloadable from the technical webpage.