News & Events
News & Events
James Leonard and Oliver Powell, instructed by Chris Baranowski of DAC Beachcroft, appeared on behalf of Mr Gary Robinson, the former director of Complete Demolition Ltd, at the Central Criminal Crown Court. Mr Robinson was indicted on two counts: (1) gross negligence manslaughter; and (2) section 37 of the Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (‘HSWA 1974’). Background: On 23 August 2018 Robert Stoian went to work as a labourer for Complete Demolition Ltd (‘the Company’). The Company been contracted to remove the internal fittings on the fifth floor of the Global Switch Building in Docklands, East London. This included; the studded partition walls, the suspended ceiling and raised floor. Embedded in one of the partition walls was a glazed unit which was 5.1m wide,…
Health & Safety 9 May, 2022
Oliver Powell, instructed by Andrew Oliver of Andrew Jackson LLP, appeared at York Crown Court in relation to an environmental appeal which had its genesis in regulatory breaches in the fishing sector. Oliver (who was not instructed at first instance) appeared on behalf of the appellant, John MacAlister (Oban) Ltd (‘the Company’). The case concerned an investigation by the North Eastern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (‘NEIFCA’) into the activities of one of the Company’s vessels, the Star of Annan. The breaches, which occurred variously on six different occasions, concerned: catching undersize scallops; fishing outside of a permitted area; fishing without a valid permit; fishing with more than 10 scallop dredges; failing to operate AIS; and fishing in a closed…
News, Health & Safety 10 Sep, 2021
The inquests into the Croydon tram crash have now concluded, in which Oliver Powell appeared on behalf of Bombardier Transportation UK Limited. The inquests into the deaths of seven people killed in the Croydon Tram crash at Sandilands on 9 November 2016 have now concluded. Following a 10 week inquest, the jury returned a unanimous conclusion of accidental death, together with a narrative. Oliver Powell, instructed by Philip Tansley of Shoosmiths LLP, appeared on behalf of Bombardier Transportation UK Limited, the designer and manufacturer of the CR4000 trams. About Oliver Oliver is ranked in Legal 500 UK for Health & Safety (Tier 1). He is frequently instructed in inquests and inquiries, appearing on behalf of companies and company officers. Clients include Beko, Bombardier, Clipper Ventures Plc,…
News, Health & Safety 23 Jul, 2021
Paul Rogers considers what the HSE has said about enforcement, and what guidance there is to assist employers to make decisions about protective measures, and raises some questions about the difficulty of proving a material risk of transmission in relation to the so-called ‘two metre rule’. Paul Rogers of our Health & Safety Team has recently had an article published in LexisPSL exploring HSE guidance, enforcement and social distancing at work. The Guidance The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has said it will look closely at concerns about social distancing and coronavirus (COVID-19) to secure compliance with the law, and has made clear that duty holders have a responsibility to protect workers and others against the risk of coronavirus infection…
Covid-19, Legal Blog & Publications, Health & Safety 4 Jun, 2020