Category: health & safety

Mischief Wrought by Stephen Sedley – London Review of Books

Posted February 25th, 2021 in compensation, health & safety, human rights, news by sally

‘The​ United Kingdom has in recent years been blighted by a compensation culture generated by health and safety legislation and human rights laws and promoted by well-paid legal aid lawyers and credulous judges. We know these to be facts because newspapers and electronic media have exposed them fearlessly. David Cameron, when he was prime minister, was so concerned about the situation that he appointed the veteran Tory politician and entrepreneur Lord Young to report on the state of health and safety legislation and “the rise of the compensation culture over the last decade”. Young reported that the problem, fuelled as it was by media stories, was “one of perception rather than reality”. Nothing daunted, the prime minister wrote in his foreword to the report: “A damaging compensation culture has arisen …”‘

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London Review of Books, 4th March 2021

Source: www.lrb.co.uk

Landlords win appeals over “unfair” FTT proceedings where – in absence of hearing – criminal offences found to have been committed – Local Government Lawyer

Posted February 25th, 2021 in health & safety, houses in multiple occupation, news, penalties, rent, repayment, standard of proof by sally

‘Three private landlords have won appeals at the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) over whether the criminal standard of proof was met in rent disputes at the First Tier Tribunal (FTT).’

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Local Government Lawyer, 25th February 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Harvey Tyrrell death: Electrician cleared over boy’s pub garden electrocution – BBC News

Posted February 17th, 2021 in accidents, causing death of children or vulnerable adults, children, health & safety, homicide, licensed premises, negligence, news by sally

‘An electrician has been cleared of killing a seven-year-old boy who was electrocuted by a set of poorly installed lights in a pub garden.’

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BBC News, 16th February 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Supreme Court upholds registration of land in working port as town and village green – Local Government Lawyer

Posted February 15th, 2021 in appeals, commons, health & safety, land registration, local government, news, Supreme Court by sally

‘An area of concrete in a working commercial port was validly registered by a county council as a town and village green, the Supreme Court has ruled.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 12th February 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Covid: HSE refuses to close workplaces that are putting employees at risk – The Guardian

Posted February 15th, 2021 in coronavirus, employment, enforcement, government departments, health & safety, news, ombudsmen by sally

‘The government’s health and safety watchdog has failed to shut down any workplaces that put employees at risk of coronavirus even though there have been over 3,500 outbreaks at work since the start of the pandemic, the Observer has discovered.’

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The Guardian, 14th February 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

New Judgment: TW Logistics Ltd v Essex County Council & Anor [2021] UKSC 4 – UKSC Blog

Posted February 15th, 2021 in appeals, commons, health & safety, land registration, local government, news, Supreme Court by sally

‘This case concerns the registration of land as a town and village green. The use of the phrase “town or village green” (“TVG”) conjures up a bucolic image of an area of grass where local inhabitants can walk and play. However, the land in this case is an area of concrete (the “Land”) in a working commercial port. The question for the Supreme Court is, has the Land been validly registered as a TVG?’

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UKSC Blog, 12th February 2021

Source: ukscblog.com

Watchdogs to inspect controversial barracks housing asylum seekers after health fears – The Independent

Posted February 12th, 2021 in asylum, coronavirus, government departments, health & safety, immigration, inquiries, news, ombudsmen by tracey

‘The UK’s prison and immigration watchdogs are to carry out an investigation of two controversial military barracks that are housing asylum seekers, amid mounting concern about conditions on the sites.’

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The Independent, 11th February 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Eviction of Euston tunnel HS2 protesters can continue, judge rules – The Guardian

Posted February 11th, 2021 in demonstrations, health & safety, human rights, news, railways by sally

‘A high court judge has ruled against a call to halt the eviction of protesters from a tunnel beside Euston Square on grounds of safety.’

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The Guardian, 10th February 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Judge refuses to halt eviction of HS2 activists from Euston tunnel – The Guardian

Posted February 3rd, 2021 in demonstrations, environmental protection, health & safety, news, railways, transport by sally

‘An emergency application to the high court by environmental protesters to stop HS2 evicting them from a tunnel close to Euston station because of safety concerns has been rejected by a judge.’

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The Guardian, 2nd February 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Home Office put refugees in barracks after fears better housing would ‘undermine confidence’ in system – The Independent

Posted February 1st, 2021 in appeals, asylum, government departments, health & safety, housing, immigration, news, refugees by tracey

‘The Home Office placed hundreds of asylum seekers in controversial military barracks following fears that better accommodation would “undermine confidence” in the system, internal documents reveal.’

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The Independent, 31st January 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Alexia Walenkaki swing death: Tower Hamlets Council fined £330,000 – BBC News

Posted January 22nd, 2021 in causing death of children or vulnerable adults, children, fines, health & safety, local government, news, parks by sally

‘A council has been fined £330,000 after a five-year-old girl died when a swing set collapsed on her in east London.’

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BBC News, 22nd January 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

New watchdog will be able to ban dangerous materials used at Grenfell Tower – The Guardian

Posted January 20th, 2021 in accidents, construction industry, fines, fire, health & safety, housing, imprisonment, inquiries, news, ombudsmen, standards by sally

‘Companies that make dangerous building materials such as those used at Grenfell Tower could be prosecuted and their products banned by a new watchdog announced by the government.’

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The Guardian, 19th January 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Senior judges issue guidance on wearing masks and face coverings in courts – Local Government Lawyer

Posted January 20th, 2021 in codes of practice, coronavirus, courts, health & safety, news by sally

‘The Senior Presiding Judge, Lady Justice Thirlwall, and the Deputy Senior Presiding Judge, Lord Justice Haddon-Cave, have issued new guidance on the wearing of masks and face coverings in courts.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 18th January 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Court and tribunal buildings are safe, insists acting chief executive of HMCTS – Local Government Lawyer

Posted January 20th, 2021 in coronavirus, courts, health & safety, HM Courts Service, news, tribunals by sally

‘Buildings operated by HM Courts and Tribunals Service are safe for those that need to use them, the organisation’s acting chief executive has insisted.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 19th January 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Firms accused of putting workers’ lives at risk by bending lockdown trading rules – The Guardian

Posted January 18th, 2021 in coronavirus, employment, enforcement, health & safety, news, ombudsmen by sally

‘Irresponsible firms are exploiting looser lockdown regulations to bring thousands of non-essential workers into sometimes busy workplaces, with little chance of enforcement action by the nation’s safety watchdog.’

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The Guardian, 16th January 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Law Society calls for two-week pause of non-custodial Crown and Magistrates court work – Local Government Lawyer

Posted January 18th, 2021 in coronavirus, courts, criminal justice, Crown Court, health & safety, Law Society, magistrates, news, remote hearings by sally

‘The Law Society has called for urgent action including a possible two-week pause of non-custodial Crown and magistrates’ court work “amid escalating safety concerns”.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 15th January 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Criminal solicitors body warns members it is not safe to attend Magistrates’ courts – Local Government Lawyer

Posted January 13th, 2021 in coronavirus, courts, criminal justice, health & safety, news, remote hearings, solicitors by sally

‘The London Criminal Courts Solicitors’ Association (LCCSA) has advised its members that it is not safe to continue to attend Magistrates’ courts.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 12th January 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Ping Pong and fire safety – Nearly Legal

Posted January 11th, 2021 in accidents, bills, fire, health & safety, housing, leases, news, repairs by sally

‘Fire safety issues in blocks of flats and other multi-occupancy buildings are one of, if not *the* biggest issue in housing law and policy today. The background is pretty well-known and, for present purposes, can be quite easily summarised. Since the Grenfell Tower disaster, it has become clear that there are hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of dwellings across England and Wales which have fire safety problems, either as a result of how they were originally constructed or because of conversion/adaptation works. Those problems are not limited to ACM cladding (which was the kind of cladding on Grenfell Tower) but also includes lots of other types cladding (including something called HPL cladding, in essence, wood-effect), and the absence of fire breaks (designed to stop fire spreading from one flat to another), defective or absent fire doors.’

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Nearly Legal, 10th January 2021

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

Can employees refuse to attend work because of Covid-19? – Blackstone Chambers

Posted January 8th, 2021 in chambers articles, coronavirus, employment, health & safety, news by sally

‘The Covid-19 pandemic has wrought sudden and drastic changes to the workplace. Many are now working from home, to suppress the spread of the virus and protect themselves or their families from catching it. However, working from home is a precaution which is not available to all, and which is available unequally. There has been no better example of this than last week’s drama (prior to the announcement of the third lockdown) over the reopening of schools, with the government, local authorities, unions and individual schools and teachers at loggerheads over whether pupils can safely return to schools after the Christmas break.’

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Blackstone Chambers, 7th January 2021

Source: coronavirus.blackstonechambers.com

Watchdog finds serious faults in some English care homes’ Covid defences – The Guardian

Posted January 8th, 2021 in care homes, care workers, coronavirus, employment, health & safety, news, quality assurance, vaccination by tracey

‘Inspectors have uncovered serious weaknesses in some care homes’ defences against the pandemic, including Covid-positive carers being told to work because of staff shortages, a failure to isolate residents when they return from hospital and poor use of personal protection equipment.’

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The Guardian, 7th January 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com