Breaching the regulations is a serious offence.

Convictions are common and can be costly. Duty holders can be prosecuted for more than one offence within the same case.

In 2020:

• the HSE’s conviction rate for dangerous goods offences was 94 percent;
• the HSE’s conviction rate for dangerous-goods-related offences was 89 percent; and
• in total, prosecutions led to fines of £16.7 million, with an average penalty of almost £19,000 per offence.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe recognises that the regulations are complex. It states that, in most cases, those working with dangerous goods must have DGSA support in place.