Warnings on hospital crowding with doubling in legal actions by CQC – Daily Telegraph

Posted October 9th, 2017 in disciplinary procedures, health & safety, hospitals, news by sally

‘A growing crisis in hospital safety is revealed in official figures showing a doubling in the number of legal warnings issued by NHS watchdogs.’

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Daily Telegraph, 8th October 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

NHS trust ‘truly sorry’ about death of teenager Connor Sparrowhawk – The Guardian

‘An NHS trust has said it is “truly sorry” about the death of a teenager with epilepsy who drowned in a bath while in its care, after it admitted failings.
Southern Health trust pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety law in the case of Connor Sparrowhawk, who had a seizure and drowned in a bath in an NHS care unit in Oxford in 2013.’

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The Guardian, 18th september 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

UK legal claims grow over exposure at work to toxic diesel fumes – The Guardian

‘Legal claims over exposure to diesel exhaust fumes at work are growing as unions warn toxic air in the workplace is a ticking time bomb on a par with asbestos.’

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The Guardian, 16th September 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Secret Millionaire property developer jailed for manslaughter after carpenter fell through ceiling – Daily Telegraph

Posted September 18th, 2017 in costs, fines, health & safety, homicide, imprisonment, negligence, news, sentencing by tracey

‘A property developer who appeared on The Secret Millionaire has been jailed for manslaughter after a carpenter fell through the ceiling of a development a year after safety warnings.’

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Daily Telegraph, 17th September 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Grenfell Tower inquiry chairman refuses to let residents who survived fire help assess evidence – The Independent

Posted September 15th, 2017 in evidence, fire, health & safety, inquiries, news by tracey

‘The chairman of an inquiry into the deadly fire at Grenfell Tower has refused calls to allow a survivor of the disaster to be part of a team assessing evidence.’

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The Independent, 14th September 2017

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Hillsborough disaster: Judge rules that six men charged following the investigation can go on trial – The Independent

‘Six men charged after an investigation into the Hillsborough disaster can go on trial, a judge has ruled.’

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The Independent, 6th September 2017

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Male police officers given £96,000 payout after they were sidelined for calling out sexism – Daily Telegraph

‘Two male police officers have been awarded £96,000 after they claimed they were sidelined for raising concerns about sexist attitudes in their force.’

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Daily Telegraph, 22nd August 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Overcoming the hurdles – Tanfield Chambers

Posted August 21st, 2017 in fire, health & safety, housing, local government, news by sally

‘The recent tragedy at Grenfell Tower in west London has brought into sharp focus the importance of having adequate fire safety in large blocks of flats. There has been much public debate about landlords cutting corners with fire protection or failing to retro-fit sprinklers. There are now calls for landlords to be required to bring older blocks up to modern standards of fire protection. This is an imperative but there are obstacles to achieving it. This article examines the legal and financial hurdles that landlords face in bringing their blocks up to an acceptable standard and proposes legislative reform to bring about the much needed works quickly.’

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Tanfield Chambers, 25th July 2017

Source: www.tanfieldchambers.co.uk

Connor Sparrowhawk: no risk assessments before teenager’s death, tribunal finds – The Guardian

‘A senior psychiatrist failed to carry out any risk assessments on an epileptic teenager before he had a seizure and drowned in a bath, a medical tribunal has found.’

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The Guardian, 21st August 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Grenfell Tower: Government dismisses conflict of interest concerns over chair of independent buildings review – The Independent

‘There is no “conflict of interest” over a former role held by the woman leading a probe into building regulations in the wake of the Grenfell disaster, the Government has said.’

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The Independent, 9th August 2017

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Grenfell fire inquiry may have to suspend work if CPS brings charges – The Guardian

Posted August 1st, 2017 in corporate manslaughter, fire, health & safety, inquiries, news, prosecutions by sally

‘The judge-led inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire is in danger of having to suspend operations entirely for a lengthy period if prosecutors authorise corporate manslaughter charges.’

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The Guardian, 31st July 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Building regulations to be reviewed after safety tests following Grenfell – The Guardian

‘The government has announced an independent review of building regulations after tests showed that at least 82 residential high-rises use a combination of insulation and cladding that does not meet fire safety standards.’

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The Guardian, 28th July 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Crossrail worker death: Firms fined £1m for safety breaches – BBC News

Posted July 28th, 2017 in construction industry, fines, health & safety, news, railways by tracey

‘Companies working for Crossrail have been fined £1m for three sets of failures, one of which led to the death of a construction worker.’

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BBC News, 28th July 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Grenfell Tower: Corporate manslaughter considered by police – BBC News

Posted July 28th, 2017 in corporate manslaughter, fire, health & safety, news by tracey

‘Police investigating the Grenfell Tower fire say they have “reasonable grounds” to suspect that corporate manslaughter offences may have been committed.’

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BBC News, 27th July 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

UK to require drones and their operators to be registered – OUT-LAW.com

Posted July 26th, 2017 in aircraft, health & safety, news by sally

‘All drones weighing at least 250g, as well as the people operating them, will need to be registered under new regulatory proposals outlined by the UK government.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 25th July 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

‘You do not represent us and you do not look like us’: Grenfell residents turn on inquiry panel – Daily Telegraph

Posted July 26th, 2017 in fire, health & safety, inquiries, judges, news by sally

‘Survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire have challenged the retired judge heading the inquiry into the disaster at an impassioned meeting.’

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Daily Telegraph, 25th July 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Pilgrim Hospital impaled patient death: NHS fined £1m – BBC News

Posted July 20th, 2017 in compensation, costs, fines, health & safety, hospitals, news by tracey

‘A hospital has been fined £1m over the death of a patient who was impaled through his rectum on a metal physiotherapy hoist.’

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BBC News, 19th July 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Prison officers permanently banned from striking after Government wins High Court bid – The Independent

‘The Government has won its High Court bid to obtain a permanent ban on industrial action by prison officers, in a move unionists have warned will leave “only a matter of time” before a member of staff gets killed.’

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The Independent, 19th July 2017

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Prisons inspector warns of ‘staggering’ decline in safety at youth jails – The Guardian

‘There has been a “staggering” decline in standards and safety at youth jails in England and Wales, the chief inspector of prisons has said.’

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The Guardian, 18th July 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

What is Corporate Manslaughter and How Does it Work? – Rightsinfo

Posted July 14th, 2017 in corporate manslaughter, fire, health & safety, news by tracey

‘Interviewed on Radio 4 following the Grenfell Tower fire, MP David Lammy attacked the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, stating: “This is the richest borough in our country treating its citizens in this way. We should call it what it is: It’s corporate manslaughter”. While the investigation into the fire is still ongoing, and criminal liability (if any) for the fire has yet to be established, it’s still always worth taking a look at the offence of corporate manslaughter and its history.’

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Rightsinfo, 11th July 2017

Source: rightsinfo.org