Regulatory Update for June 2026

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• Sarah Wheadon

• 22 Jul 2026
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• 4 min read

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Welcome to our June 2026 regulatory update. In this edition, we highlight important developments in health and safety, environmental and trading standards/consumer law, together with practical lessons from recent enforcement action.

Key Themes

• Ensure all permits, licenses and consents required to operate lawfully are in place.
  
  
• Do not ignore unsafe practices or warning signs.
  
  
• Prevention remains the most effective form of compliance.

Health and Safety

HSE focus areas

• The HSE has reported that falls from height remain the leading cause of workplace fatalities, with 35 workers killed in Great Britain during 2024 – 2025. Businesses should continue to review and strengthen controls for working at height –Latest annual work-related fatalities published – HSE Media Centre
  
  
• Event organisers have been reminded of the HSE’s practical guidance on event safety – Event safety – HSE
  
  
• Following our May update, the HSE has issued its first prohibition notices requiring four companies to stop working with engineered stone and published its first COSHH guidance on controlling silica risks – Working engineered stone: Control silica risk – HSE
  
  
• Ahead of the summer holidays, the HSE has reminded construction companies of their legal obligations to prevent unauthorised access to construction sites – Protecting the public – HSE

Recent prosecutions and lessons learned

• Temporary platform collapse. Two construction companies were fined £32,000 after a worker suffered neck and back fractures when a temporary wooden platform loaded with concrete debris collapsed. Safe loading limits had not been calculated, inspections were inadequate and the platform was not properly monitored.
  
  Key takeaway: Temporary structures must be properly designed, inspected by a competent person and maintained to withstand foreseeable loads – Temporary Works – HSE

• Falls through roof skylight. Two construction companies were fined £79,300 after a scaffolder fell through a roof skylight, suffering serious arm and leg fractures. The work had not been properly planned, managed or monitored.
  
  Key takeaway: Work on or near fragile roofs requires careful planning, with the first consideration being whether access can be avoided altogether – Health and safety in roof work – HSE

• Conveyor belt injury. A worker at a waste and recycling facility sustained serious injuries after being pulled into an unguarded conveyor belt while clearing a blockage. The company was fined more than £64,000.
  
  Key takeaway: Businesses using machinery should ensure effective guarding is in place and safe systems of work are followed for maintenance and clearance activities – Safe use of work equipment – HSE

• Welding exposure failures. A skip manufacturer was fined £30,000 for allowing welding without adequate fume extraction, welfare facilities, noise risk assessment or hearing surveillance. The company also failed to comply with two improvement notices.
  
  Key takeaway: Welding operations require appropriate controls for fumes and noise, together with health surveillance where necessary – Welding fume: protect your workers – HSE and Controlling noise at work – HSE

• Fall from fragile roof. A landscaping business owner received a 12-month suspended prison sentence after failing to protect employees from falls from height, resulting in an employee falling through a fragile roof. The business also lacked employers’ liability insurance (to cover successful civil compensation claims).
  
  Key takeaway: Employers must take appropriate measures to prevent falls from height and maintain compulsory employer’s liability insurance, unless exempt – Employers’ Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 – HSE

• Electrocution at leisure centre. A leisure centre was fined £60,000 following the death of a customer who was electrocuted by a floodlight with defective wiring. A similar incident had occurred only a month earlier, but no effective action had been taken.
  
  Key takeaway: Electrical equipment must be inspected and maintained and near misses or previous incidents should prompt immediate corrective action – The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 – HSE

Environmental

The Environment Agency accepted an enforcement undertaking from a pet crematorium, which agreed to pay £60,000 to a local environmental charity after failing to obtain the necessary permit to store veterinary waste following a relocation.

In a separate case, the director of a development company was prosecuted and fined £40,000 for felling trees without a Forestry Commission licence. The activity destroyed a habitat used by Great Crested Newts, a protected species. The court also noted that the director was aware of the presence of the newts before the trees were removed.

Key takeaway: Before commencing operations or development activities, businesses should ensure they have identified and obtained all necessary permits, licences and environmental consents.

Consumer/Trading Standards

CMA enforcement action

• The CMA fined StubHub UK £889,200 and ordered refunds for more than 50,000 customers after finding that mandatory delivery and service fees were added late in the purchasing process rather than being included in the upfront ticket price, a practice known as “drip pricing”. StubHub co-operated with the CMA, admitted the breach and settled early, resulting in a 40% reduction in its penalty.

• Marks Electrical was fined £720,000 and ordered to pay approximately £600,000 in compensation after charging customers for additional services without obtaining their express agreement. The company also cooperated with the CMA and received a 40% reduction in its penalty for early settlement.

Key takeaway: Businesses should ensure fees are clearly disclosed upfront and that consumers actively choose any optional products or services. Pre-ticked boxes and automatic opt-ins should be avoided.

Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) rulings on environmental claims

The ASA upheld three complaints concerning environmental claims, including the use of terms such as “recycled” and “organic” in fashion advertising. The ASA concluded that the claims were likely to mislead consumers because their basis was not sufficiently clear.

Key takeaway: Environmental claims must be clear, accurate and supported by robust evidence, particularly where they may influence purchasing decisions.

Get in touch

If you would like support reviewing your compliance or advice about a regulatory investigation or prosecution, please get in touch with Sarah Wheadon.