Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

17 Use of approved codes of practice in criminal proceedings. U.K.

(1) A failure on the part of any person to observe any provision of an approved code of practice shall not of itself render him liable to any civil or criminal proceedings; but where in any criminal proceedings a party is alleged to have committed an offence by reason of a contravention of any requirement or prohibition imposed by or under any such provision as is mentioned in section 16(1) being a provision for which there was an approved code of practice at the time of the alleged contravention, the following subsection shall have effect with respect to that code in relation to those proceedings.

(2) Any provision of the code of practice which appears to the court to be relevant to the requirement or prohibition alleged to have been contravened shall be admissible in evidence in the proceedings; and if it is proved that there was at any material time a failure to observe any provision of the code which appears to the court to be relevant to any matter which it is necessary for the prosecution to prove in order to establish a contravention of that requirement or prohibition, that matter shall be taken as proved unless the court is satisfied that the requirement or prohibition was in respect of that matter complied with otherwise than by way of observance of that provision of the code.

(3) In any criminal proceedings—

(a) a document purporting to be a notice issued by [F1 the Executive] under section 16 shall be taken to be such a notice unless the contrary is proved; and

(b) a code of practice which appears to the court to be the subject of such a notice shall be taken to be the subject of that notice unless the contrary is proved.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in s. 17(3)(a) substituted (1.4.2008) by The Legislative Reform (Health and Safety Executive) Order 2008 (S.I. 2008/960), art. 9 (with art. 21, Sch. 2)

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 Ss. 1–25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 33, 34–59, 80, 81 and 82 applied by S.I. 1989/840, arts. 2–10

Ss. 16-21, 23, 24, 26, 28, 33, 34, 36-39, 42(1)-(3), 46 extended (E.W.S.) (1.10.1996) by S.I. 1996/1513, reg. 10

Ss. 16-24, 26, 28, 33-40, 42, 46, 47 excluded (with saving) (E.W.S.) (1.12.1997) by S.I. 1997/1840, regs. 7, 9

Ss. 16-26, 33-42, 47 applied (15.11.2000) by S.I. 2000/2831, reg. 26(1)(a)

Ss. 16-26 applied (E.W.S.) (24.7.2002) by S.I. 2002/1689, reg. 14(1)(a)

C2 Ss. 16-21 extended (with modifications) (1.4.1999) by S.I. 1999/743, reg. 20(1)(a), (2)(3)

Ss. 16-21 applied (E.W.S.) (20.9.2001) by S.I. 2001/2975, reg. 19(a)

C3 Ss. 1-59, 80-82 applied (11.7.2001) by S.I. 2001/2127, arts. 4(1), 5(1)(2), 6(1), 7(1), 8(1), 10 (with art. 11) (as amended by S.I. 2009/1750, art. 2(2)(4))

C4 Ss. 1-59, 80-82 applied (temp.) (5.8.2009) by The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (Application outside Great Britain) Order 2001 (S.I. 2001/2127), arts. 8A, 8B (as inserted by S.I. 2009/1750, art. 2(3))

C5 Ss. 1-59 applied by S.I. 2001/2127 art. 8A 8B (as inserted (E.W.S.) (6.4.2011) by The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (Application outside Great Britain) (Variation) Order 2011 (S.I. 2011/745), arts. 1(1), 3(2))

C6 Ss. 16-26 applied (E.W.S.) (1.10.2014) by The Genetically Modified Organisms (Contained Use) Regulations 2014 (S.I. 2014/1663), regs. 1, 30(2)(a) (with reg. 3(1)(2))

C7 Ss. 16-21 applied (with modifications) (E.W.S.) (1.6.2015) by The Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations 2015 (S.I. 2015/483), regs. 1(1), 27(1)(a) (with reg. 3(2))

C8 Ss. 16-22 applied (E.W.S.) (19.7.2015) by The Offshore Installations (Offshore Safety Directive) (Safety Case etc.) Regulations 2015 (S.I. 2015/398), regs. 1, 36(1)(a) (with reg. 4(2), Sch. 14)