Hi Lucy, my company pays the operatives just above minimum wage but makes up their money with a production bonus and this is doubled through a safety bonus. We currently have a well engaged team who are not afraid to report any issues and will not allow anyone reduce standards which will threaten their bonus.
Good luck.

An old system used in many areas but it must be well throughout, fair and managed as most such systems only chastise front line staff whereas managers, office staff etc. do not get managed thus it causes problems and can be counter productive

I'm no expert on employment law but I would be surprised if it is legal to deduct pay for a safety infringement. You can suspend someone - for example, pending the outcome of an investigation, but this is normally with full pay.

I asked a good HR colleague of mine for a viewpoint :

I was interested in the forum’s comments.

As a factual answer to making any deductions from employee wages then it is clear that any deductions need to be agreed with an employee or be an express clause in their employment contract. In the event that any deductions from wages are made without agreement or an express term in the contract then the employee can take the employer to a tribunal with a claim of UNLAWFUL DEDUCTION FROM WAGES.

In terms of giving a financial penalty rather than dismissing an employee for a breach of health and safety, this is a matter for the person in the Company who would be held responsible for a fatality should it ever happen. In summary if the Company has H & S policy and procedures that are breached and then allow the employee to come back to the role after some small financial loss then the H & S executive and police will certainly be interested in the Company’s past approach to H & S in the event of any fatality.

A recent case of a fatality where a number of loaded pallets fell on an employee and killed him is, as you can imagine, being crawled all over by the police and H & S executive. They are looking at the Company’s H & S practices. Therefore I would recommend that if a Company feels a warning or financial penalty (if agreed with the employee) is reasonable to give to an employee who has breached health & Safety practices and procedures then it may be time to review this now. Also by giving warnings to employees instead of dismissal this can set a precedent in the Company for other employees should they do the same.

Employment and the actions of employees and how that can have a detrimental effect on a Company is what we do and how we help them to make decisions based on evidence. We have dismissed an employee who injured themselves by lifting an item alone when the Company had an audit record that the employee would have known not to lift this item alone.

'Employment and the actions of employees and how that can have a detrimental effect on a Company is what we do and how we help them to make decisions based on evidence. We have dismissed an employee who injured themselves by lifting an item alone when the Company had an audit record that the employee would have known not to lift this item alone.'

Seems rather draconian to dismiss an employee for a manual handling infringement. What do you do if someone has a serious accident - shoot them?!

"Seems rather draconian to dismiss an employee for a manual handling infringement. What do you do if someone has a serious accident - shoot them"

No, that's reserved for the managers that do their job badly.
So, that's over 90% of management pushing-up daisies!

As an ex miner i can inform readers / posters that this type of thing was being used over 30 years ago, and in full agreement with the unions.
however, if you got "fined" all monies raised went to the local special needs school in the village.
This type of system isnt perfect by all means but it certainly focuses peoples minds.