There are hundreds of pieces of legislation governing health & safety, food safety and the environment and the financial penalties for non-compliance can be literally unlimited. In the most serious cases the penalties can even include custodial sentences.All this has helped make this country one of the safest and best cared for in the world, but few directors or senior managers have the discretionary time to keep up with the array of legislation, and not all can justify full time employees to manage it on their behalf. Even those that can may need specialist support from time to time.