News

These regulations have been introduced [under Article 24 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005] to implement the majority of the recommendations made to government in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 report which require a change in the law.

Convictions following roofer’s death. Two construction company owners have been convicted of health and safety offences, including one conviction of manslaughter by gross negligence, after a worker fell to his death on a building site in Hove. Steven Wenham, 48, of Brighton, and John Nicholas Spiller, 52, of Portslade, have been found guilty of several charges at Lewes Crown Court following a long and complex investigation led by Sussex Police, with support from the HSE.

A Grantham man has received a suspended prison sentence for deceiving the public about his ability to handle asbestos safely. A court heard that between 2017 and 2019, Lee Charles of Caldicot Gardens acted as a de facto director of Lincs Demolition Ltd in securing lucrative jobs. He was able to do so by marketing himself as a registered asbestos-removal specialist.

Northern Gas Networks Ltd has been sentenced for safety breaches after a fire and gas explosion at residential premises in Mirfield resulted in the death of the homeowner.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published statistics that cover work-related ill health, fatal / non-fatal workplace injuries and enforcement action taken by HSE, in 2020/21.

In this Briefing Note we review the management of construction work as defined by the Regulations and is in response to a number of recent requests from clients for further information and advice. Note: although domestic clients are mentioned in the Regulations, they are not addressed in this briefing note.

New laws on building safety have been proposed to Parliament. A key element of these proposals is that certain buildings will require a safety case when they are occupied. If you manage or are responsible for a building covered by the proposed new laws, this Briefing Note will help you understand what a safety case is.

Measures to ensure fire safety matters are incorporated at the planning stage for schemes involving a relevant high-rise residential building (Planning Gateway 1 & Fire Statements) Measures to ensure the consideration of fire safety matters as they relate to land use planning are incorporated at the planning stage for schemes involving a relevant high-rise residential building.

Following the introduction of the Fire Safety Act 2021, the Fire Safety Order was amended to ensure the inspection of all doors between domestic premises and common parts was included within the scope of the fire risk assessment. However, we also know that we are awaiting further legislation to formally introduce this requirement.

Working in confined spaces without the appropriate risk mitigation measures can lead to multiple fatalities. The definition of a confined space is a space which is substantially (although not always entirely) enclosed and one or more of the specified risks must be present.