Health, Safety & Environment

We have particular experience in the oil, gas, power and construction industries, brought in to advise and represent large corporates (eg. British Pipeline Agency in the Buncefield Oil litigation), as well as small and medium-sized businesses.

Our experience in cases of rail disasters, and deaths by fire, is unparalleled. From both prosecution and defence perspectives, we have been involved in all of the major rail crashes in the UK, such as those at Hatfield, Potters Bar, Ladbroke Grove and others. Recent high profile cases of death by fire include Warwickshire Fire (death of four firemen in a warehouse blaze) and Lakanal House (death of six residents in a London tower block).

We regularly represent companies, public bodies and individuals at the inquest stage of an investigation. These require careful management and are often-important factors influencing decisions to prosecute or pursue civil proceedings. We also appear on behalf of families to ensure that a rigorous examination of the issues is undertaken. Our experience ranges from straightforward accidents at work to high profile, multi-factorial deaths.

The breadth of our expertise gives us a real advantage in managing complex cases with criminal, civil and regulatory angles. It means that we can consider each case fully from all angles to ensure that the best outcome is achieved for our clients – recent examples include the Warwickshire Fire and Lakanal House.

Outer Temple Chambers is widely recognised as one of the UK’s leading sets for environmental law, having appeared in many leading cases in the last 20 years both at first instance and on appeal, including those arising from disasters in the rail (eg. Hatfield), oil (Buncefield Oil Refinery explosion) and water industries. A number of individuals in our team are recognised by Chambers & Partners as “Leaders at the Bar” in this field whilst our clients include FTSE 100 companies, their directors and a number of regulators.

We are consistently briefed by one side or the other, in respect of most major investigations into unlawful waste operations. We are highly conscious of the reputational damage that can be caused by an investigation by a regulator and the commercial concerns of our clients. This sensitive and business-minded approach has encouraged clients like Severn Trent Water Limited and Birmingham City Council.

Members are often asked to provide specialist advice on preventative measures to avoid breaching regulations and legislation. This includes legionella protection, waste management, land, air, noise, river pollution and fly tipping. We have represented one of those charged as a result of the fire at Penhallow Hotel in Cornwall and advised a Strategic Health Authority in relation to the largest hospital outbreak of Clostridium Difficile ever encountered.

Our team has particular expertise in dealing with the environmental impact of the logistics industry and have vast experience of public inquiries called by the transport regulatory authorities to look into environmental issues thrown up by HGV / coach fleet operators. We act both for defence and prosecution in criminal cases against transport operators involving environmental allegations – particularly under the relevant European legislation relating to the road haulage industry. We are well aware of that this work is business-critical and of vital importance to our client in avoiding reputational damage.

Our client profile for the transport and logistics sector includes: SITA, UPS, Lynx Express, National Express, Norbert Dentressangle, Eddie Stobbart, Ryan Air, Medina Dairy, the Co-op, Delice de France, Terravision, Christian Salvesen, Texaco.