Oldham Building Firm Hit With £35k Fine Over Safety Breach 2026

Key Points

• Firm from Oldham is fined £35,000 for breaching health and safety regulations for construction works.
• Oldham Business and Construction Ltd was a principal contractor at the Lynn Street site.
• The firm pleaded guilty to the failure to effectively plan, control and supervise the construction stage.
• The case relates to the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015.
• The firm was sentenced at Warrington Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, 11 August 2026.
• The court fined the firm £30,000, £4,883.85 in costs and £2,000 victim surcharge.
• The total financial penalty amounts to £36,883.85.
• The firm is expected to make the payment before 11 August 2029.
• The guilty plea of the firm was considered by the court while sentencing.
• According to regulation 13(1), principal contractors should coordinate the health and safety during the construction phase.

Oldham (Manchester Mirror) August 17, 2026 –It firm fined £35,000 after admitting that it failed to meet its legal responsibilities for planning, managing and monitoring health and safety during a construction project off Lynn Street.

uk/local/oldham/">Oldham Business and Construction Ltd, which is based on Bath Street, was the principal contractor at the site. As principal contractor, the company had responsibility for coordinating health and safety arrangements during the construction phase and for ensuring that the work was properly organised and carried out safely.

According to the report published by The Oldham Times, the company pleaded guilty to breaching the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. The case was heard at Warrington Magistrates’ Court, where the company was sentenced on Tuesday, 11 August.

The company had entered its guilty plea in April. The court considered that plea when deciding the sentence.

Why was Oldham Business and Construction Ltd prosecuted?

Oldham Business and Construction Ltd was prosecuted because it failed to plan, manage and monitor the construction phase of the project as required by law.

The specific legal duty relates to Regulation 13(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. This regulation places responsibilities on principal contractors to organise and coordinate health and safety matters during construction work.

The regulation is intended to ensure that construction activity is managed in a structured way. Principal contractors are expected to make appropriate arrangements for the work, coordinate the activities of contractors and monitor whether health and safety requirements are being followed.

The report did not state that a particular worker was injured, nor did it provide details of a specific accident at the Lynn Street site. The offence concerned the company’s failure to carry out the required planning, management and monitoring duties during the project.

The breach also resulted in the company facing conviction under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

What did the court hear about the breach?

The court heard that Oldham Business and Construction Ltd did not fulfil its responsibilities as principal contractor during the project.

The company was required to coordinate health and safety matters throughout the construction phase. However, the court found that it failed to do so.

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 require those in control of construction work to establish suitable systems for managing risk. This includes ensuring that construction work is properly planned before it begins and that arrangements remain effective while work is under way.

The regulations also require construction activities to be managed and monitored. This allows those responsible for a site to identify problems, check that agreed controls are being followed and respond where unsafe practices or inadequate arrangements are found.

In this case, the prosecution related to the company’s failure to meet those management obligations. The available report does not include further details about the nature of the project, the precise shortcomings identified by inspectors or whether any enforcement notices were issued before the prosecution.

What penalty did the company receive?

The company received a total penalty of £36,883.85.

The sentence included:

• A £30,000 fine.
• £4,883.85 in prosecution costs.
• A £2,000 victim surcharge.

The company must pay the full amount by 11 August 2029.

Although the headline figure is more than £35,000, the fine imposed by the court was £30,000. The overall penalty rose to £36,883.85 after costs and the victim surcharge were added.

The court took the company’s guilty plea into account when determining the sentence. A guilty plea can be relevant to sentencing because it may reduce the time and resources required for a trial. The report did not state the percentage or amount of any reduction applied.

What are the responsibilities of a principal contractor?

A principal contractor has a central role in coordinating safety during a construction project. Under the rules cited in the case, the principal contractor must ensure that health and safety arrangements are in place and that the construction phase is managed effectively.

Those responsibilities include:

• Planning the construction phase before work begins.
• Managing the work so that risks are controlled.
• Coordinating the activities of different contractors.
• Monitoring health and safety arrangements throughout the project.
• Ensuring that workers and contractors understand relevant site arrangements.
• Taking action when unsafe conditions or inadequate procedures are identified.

The purpose of these duties is to prevent construction work from being carried out without proper coordination. Construction sites can involve several businesses, trades and activities taking place at the same time. Without effective management, one contractor’s work can create risks for another contractor or for people working nearby.

The Oldham case demonstrates that a company can face prosecution even where a report does not identify a major accident or injury. Health and safety legislation places duties on businesses to manage risks proactively rather than waiting for harm to occur.

How much did the Oldham firm have to pay?

Oldham Business and Construction Ltd was ordered to pay £36,883.85 in total.

The £30,000 fine was the main punishment imposed by the court. The company was also ordered to pay £4,883.85 in costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge.

The total amount is payable by 11 August 2029. The report did not explain whether the court approved a payment plan or whether the company’s financial circumstances affected the payment timetable.

The fine and additional charges were imposed after the company pleaded guilty to failing to comply with the relevant construction health and safety requirements.

When was the company sentenced?

The company was sentenced at Warrington Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, 11 August 2026.

The case followed the company’s guilty plea in April. The sentencing hearing dealt with the consequences of the admitted breach.

The Oldham Times reported that the court took the guilty plea into account during sentencing. The report did not name an individual company director or employee as the person responsible for the breach. The defendant identified in the case was Oldham Business and Construction Ltd.

What does the case mean for construction businesses?

The case serves as a reminder that principal contractors must maintain effective health and safety systems throughout a construction project.

Businesses responsible for construction sites need to ensure that their arrangements are not limited to paperwork prepared before work begins. Plans must be implemented, reviewed and monitored as the project develops.

A site can change quickly as different phases of work begin, contractors arrive or leave, and new hazards emerge. Effective monitoring is therefore an ongoing responsibility. Principal contractors must coordinate the work of contractors and make sure that safety procedures remain suitable for the actual conditions on site.

The financial penalty also shows that a breach of construction management duties can have significant consequences. The company’s total liability was nearly £37,000 once the fine, costs and surcharge were combined.

No further comments from Oldham Business and Construction Ltd were included in the report available for this article.

What is known about the Lynn Street site?

The construction project was located at a site off Lynn Street in Oldham.

Oldham Business and Construction Ltd was identified as the principal contractor for the site. The available report does not provide the name of the development, the client, the project value, the planned use of the building or the dates on which construction took place.

It also does not state whether the site has been completed or whether work continued after the breach was identified.

The confirmed details are that the company was based on Bath Street, was the principal contractor at the Lynn Street site and admitted failing to plan, manage and monitor the construction phase in accordance with the relevant regulations.

What did the published report say?

As reported by The Oldham Times, Oldham Business and Construction Ltd admitted breaching health and safety regulations at the site.

The report stated that the business pleaded guilty to failing to plan, manage and monitor the construction phase under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015.

It also reported that the company pleaded guilty in April and was sentenced at Warrington Magistrates’ Court on 11 August 2026.

The report stated that the company was fined £30,000 and ordered to pay £4,883.85 in costs and a £2,000 victim surcharge. The total penalty was £36,883.85, with payment due by 11 August 2029.

The report further explained that Regulation 13(1) requires principal contractors to coordinate health and safety matters throughout the construction phase so that work is carried out safely. The court heard that Oldham Business and Construction Ltd failed to carry out that duty during the project.

Background: Construction health and safety duties

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 set out duties for the people and organisations involved in construction projects. These duties are designed to ensure that health and safety is considered at every stage, from planning and design through to construction and completion.

Where a project involves more than one contractor, the principal contractor is responsible for managing the construction phase. This includes coordinating the work and ensuring that suitable arrangements are in place to protect workers and other people affected by the project.

Regulation 13(1), cited in the Oldham case, concerns the principal contractor’s duty to plan, manage, monitor and coordinate the construction phase. The duty applies throughout the project rather than only at the beginning.

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 provides the wider legal framework for workplace health and safety in Great Britain. Companies that fail to meet relevant legal duties can be prosecuted and fined by the courts.

The Oldham case involved an admitted failure to carry out the required construction-phase management duties. The published report did not identify an injury or provide evidence of a specific incident. Its confirmed focus was the company’s failure to comply with the legal requirements governing the management and coordination of health and safety at the site.

Prediction: How could the fine affect construction businesses and workers?

The development is likely to encourage construction companies in Oldham and the wider Greater Manchester area to review how they plan, manage and monitor projects.

For principal contractors, the clearest potential effect is increased attention to compliance records. Businesses may review construction-phase plans, contractor coordination procedures, site inspections and monitoring arrangements to ensure that their systems reflect the work taking place on site.

Smaller construction firms may also face greater pressure to demonstrate that safety responsibilities are clearly allocated. A company acting as principal contractor cannot rely solely on subcontractors to manage risks independently. Coordination between contractors remains an important part of the principal contractor’s role.

Workers and subcontractors may benefit if companies respond by improving communication, site supervision and reporting procedures. Better monitoring could help identify hazards before they result in injury or disruption.

However, the case alone does not establish that inspections or prosecutions will increase, nor does it indicate any specific future enforcement action against other firms. Its immediate significance is that Oldham Business and Construction Ltd has been fined after admitting a failure to meet the legal duties attached to its role as principal contractor.

For local construction businesses, the practical lesson is that health and safety planning must continue throughout a project. Companies that keep arrangements updated, coordinate contractors effectively and monitor site conditions may reduce the risk of regulatory action and help maintain safer working conditions.