Sections 18 to 26 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act set out the enforcement powers available to a Health and Safety Executive (‘HSE’) or local authority inspector (‘Inspector’). Sections 21 and 22 give an Inspector the authority to serve an improvement or prohibition notice (‘Notice’).
Since March 2020, there have been calls for an inquiry into the government response to the Covid pandemic. An inquiry could provide a forum for understanding what happened and why. This is, in part, to give closure to those affected (which unusually is almost all of us to some degree) while also providing recommendations to help prepare the UK for the next pandemic, an inevitability according to many experts in the scientific community.
In the case of R (on the application of Maughan) (Appellant) v Her Majesty’s Senior Coroner for Oxfordshire (Respondent) [2020] UKSC 46, the Supreme Court found, by a majority of three to two, that all conclusions in coronial inquests, including unlawful killing and suicide, whether short form or narrative, are to be determined on the civil standard of proof i.e. ‘on the balance of probabilities’.
BCL Solicitors LLP are delighted to be named in the Global Investigations Review (GIR) top 100 investigations firms – a guide to the world’s leading firms for corporate investigations.
BCL Solicitors LLP are pleased to be once again recognised as a top-tier firm with an extensive team of outstanding individuals in the new Legal 500 United Kingdom 2020-2021 Guide with a total of seven leading practice areas identified and 14 lawyers commended for their standout contribution in their respective practices.
As the COVID-19 lockdown eases further from 4th July 2020 and subsequently, more businesses will be able to recommence operating, or operating closer to how they did pre-lockdown. As this adaptation takes place, employers will be keen to ensure the safety of their employees and members of the public and understand the risks if they fail to do so.