Coroner calls for law to ensure swimming pools are fenced off after young boy’s death – Daily Telegraph

Posted April 16th, 2015 in accidents, children, health & safety, news by sally

‘Assistant coroner for Wiltshire and Swindon to ask government for similar fencing laws to Australia where families must install child-resistant barriers around pools.’

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Daily Telegraph, 15th April 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Not So Alarming – Nearly Legal

‘There are new provisions requiring smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in residential properties.’

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Nearly Legal, 24th March 2015

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Smoothie court case leaves nasty taste in the mouth for placenta fans – The Independent

Posted March 23rd, 2015 in birth, environmental health, food, health & safety, human tissue, news by sally

‘Swindon Borough Council argue ‘the processes involved in the production of placenta for human consumption present a number of potentially serious health risks”

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The Independent, 20th March 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Hillsborough inquests: Assessing David Duckenfield’s evidence – BBC News

Posted March 19th, 2015 in evidence, health & safety, inquests, news, police, sport by sally

‘Police match commander David Duckenfield spent a week in the witness box at the new inquests into the Hillsborough disaster. But what were the key parts of his evidence, and what have we learned?’

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BBC News, 19th March 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Fire safety – a hot topic! – Park Square Barristers

Posted March 19th, 2015 in appeals, fire, health & safety, news, regulations by sally

‘A recent case on the issue of fire safety — or, more exactly, the provisions of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 — has proved both interesting and instructive on the desirability and necessity of precision when drafting an indictment for proceedings brought before the Crown Court.’

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Park Square Barristers, 4th MArch 2015

Source: www.parksquarebarristers.co.uk

More health and safety offenders likely to appeal, says expert, as magistrates get power to issue unlimited fines – OUT-LAW.com

Posted March 17th, 2015 in appeals, fines, health & safety, news by sally

‘Companies and individuals charged with health and safety offences in England and Wales will be likely to change their tactics in the courts following last week’s removal of the cap on fines imposed by the magistrates’ courts, an expert has said.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 16th March 2015

Source: www.out-law.com

NHS trust ordered to pay nearly £20,000 over dermatitis failings – Local Government Lawyer

Posted March 11th, 2015 in costs, fines, health, health & safety, hospitals, news by tracey

‘An NHS trust in Cornwall has been ordered to pay nearly £20,000 in fines and costs over failings in its approach to dealing with dermatitis. The Health & Safety Executive prosecuted the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust following an investigation that found 23 cases of dermatitis – occurring between 2007 and 2012 – had not been reported to it as is required by the law.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 9th March 2015

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

The Strange Case of the Salted Snack – BBC Law in Action

Posted February 18th, 2015 in food, health & safety, news, parental responsibility, school exclusions by sally

In this week’s Law in Action we tell the cheesy story of the 6-year-old boy excluded from school because of the salted snack in his lunch box. We ask what the law has to say about this – can a child be excluded because of what his or her parents have done?

Listen

BBC Law in Action, 17th February 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Lee Balkwell concrete mixer death: Family awarded £12,000 – BBC News

‘The family of a man found dead in a concrete mixer in Essex has been awarded £12,000 in compensation.’

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BBC News, 30th January 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Pub chef and manager jailed over Christmas dinner that left a diner dead – The Guardian

‘A pub chef and his manager have both been jailed after a Christmas dinner served at their restaurant left a mother dead and dozens of other diners ill with food poisoning.’

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The Guardian, 23rd January 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Street butcher fined after boy loses hand in mincing machine – BBC News

Posted January 22nd, 2015 in accidents, costs, fines, guilty pleas, health & safety, news, young persons by sally

‘A butcher has been fined £3,000 after a teenage apprentice’s hand was chopped off in a mincing machine.’

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BBC News, 21st January 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Accidents abroad: The need for evidence of local standards – Zenith PI Blog

‘A holidaymaker who sustained personal injuries from slipping on a wet staircase in a hotel in Spain succeeded at first instance in a claim against the holiday operator. The Court of Appeal overturned the first instance decision where there had been no evidence of local standards of care and the judge had wrongly imposed an evidential burden of proof on the holiday company to prove it exercised reasonable care and skill in performance of the contract.’

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Zenith PI Blog, 13th January 2015

Source: www.zenithpi.wordpress.com

Corporate manslaughter prosecutions “gathering momentum”, says expert, as kayak firm convicted – OUT-LAW.com

Posted January 15th, 2015 in corporate manslaughter, health & safety, news, prosecutions by sally

‘The successful prosecution of a firm for corporate manslaughter following the death of a worker who had become trapped in an industrial oven demonstrates the need for firms to ensure that health and safety risks are properly managed, an expert has said.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 13th January 2015

Source: www.out-law.com

Chessington fined £150k after girl injured in fall – BBC News

Posted January 13th, 2015 in accidents, costs, health & safety, news by sally

‘Chessington World of Adventures has been fined £150,000 for safety breaches after a four-year-old girl suffered head injuries in a 14ft (4.2m) fall.’

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BBC News, 12th January 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

NHS trust fined £180,000 after patient suffers burns from overheated mattress – Local Government Lawyer

‘An NHS trust was fined £180,000 before Christmas after a patient suffered severe burns from a warming mattress.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 6th January 2015

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Soho Theatre fined over fall that paralysed stage manager – BBC News

Posted December 16th, 2014 in fines, health & safety, news, personal injuries, theatre by tracey

‘A theatre where a stage manager was paralysed in a fall through an unmarked balcony door on to the stage below has been fined £20,000.’

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BBC News, 15th December 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Pyranha Mouldings oven death: Health and safety charges dropped – BBC News

Posted December 16th, 2014 in accidents, corporate manslaughter, health & safety, news by tracey

‘Two men who faced health and safety charges over the death of a factory worker in an industrial oven have had the case against them dropped.’

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BBC News, 15th December 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Cosmetics tested on animals banned in the EU – or are they? – UK Human Rights Blog

‘R (on the application of the European Federation for Cosmetic Ingredients) v Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Attorney General, British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection and the European Coalition to End Animal Experiments (intervening) [2014] EWHC 4222 (Admin) 12 December 2014. Conscientious shoppers who check the labelling of shampoos and other cosmetic products for the “not tested on animals” legend may not be aware that there is in place an EU Regulation (“the Cosmetics Regulation”), enforceable by criminal sanctions, prohibiting the placing on the market of any product that has been tested on laboratory animals. Any comfort drawn from this knowledge however may be displaced by the uncertainty concerning the status of cosmetics whose ingredients have been tested on animals in non-EU or “third” countries. (Incidentally the Cruelty Cutter app is designed to enable consumers to test, at the swipe of a smart phone, whether the product they are contemplating purchasing has been tested on animals.)’

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UK Human RIghts Blog, 12th December 2014

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Stage manager is awarded £3.7m compensation after being left paralysed – The Guardian

Posted December 12th, 2014 in compensation, health & safety, news, personal injuries by sally

‘A stage manager for an award-winning theatre company, left paralysed after walking through an unmarked backstage door into “thin air” and falling three metres, has been awarded £3.7m in compensation, in one of the biggest payouts in the UK entertainment sector.’

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The Guardian, 11th December 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Food allergy laws enforced in restaurants and takeaways – BBC News

Posted December 12th, 2014 in EC law, food, health & safety, news by sally

‘Restaurants and takeaways across Europe will be required by law to tell customers if their food contains ingredients known to trigger allergies.’

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BBC News, 12th December 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk