Health and Safety

Health and safety is a business-critical issue. Getting it right brings benefits, not least happy, healthy and motivated staff. Effective compliance and strong corporate governance is vital and sound risk management makes commercial, legal and moral good sense. Conversely, failure to address potential liabilities can create huge financial and reputational risks.

Available from the moment an adverse incident occurs, our Team provides specialist crisis management expertise, advising on each stage of the investigatory and legal process as it occurs including:

• instructing and guiding internal investigations;
• early case assessment of potential liabilities and strategy setting;
• advice and representation at police and regulator-led interviews under caution; and
  representation in the criminal courts, including advocacy.

Our track record

Our lawyers have appeared in some of the most high-profile cases in this area of the law, including:

• Instructed in connection with the Manchester Arena Inquiry.
• Advising a participant to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and associated Metropolitan Police criminal investigation.
• Represented an individual in connection with the high profile, well publicised CPS/ HSE prosecution following the Bosley Wood Mill explosion in July 2015 which killed four people. The client was acquitted on day 50 of the trial in April 2021.
• Instructed in connection with the ongoing investigation following the Didcot Power Station collapse that killed four people.
• Represented the Managing Director of a construction company/ property management company investigated for individual gross negligence manslaughter and charged with health and safety related offences following the death of an employee crushed whilst demolishing a wall. The individual received a suspended prison sentence at a hearing in December 2022 and thereby avoided custody.
• Defending a ground handling organisation in respect of conjoined prosecutions arising from two falls from height which occurred during the course of baggage handling operations at Luton Airport.
• Representing a rail maintenance company in connection with an ongoing HSE investigation following a non-fatal explosion.