Businesses have a legal duty to ensure that the health and safety of their employees, and other persons affected by their undertaking, is appropriately managed, assessed and protected across all their workplace activities, extending from their physical welfare to their mental wellbeing. Whilst the law is not particularly new in this respect, a series of recent high-profile cases show that the enforcement risk, potential for reputational damage and adverse commercial impact to businesses in this area is greater than ever before. The need for sophisticated legal advice is now paramount.
Our team regularly advises international, industrial and other blue-chip clients in relation to health and safety regulatory and compliance proceedings and enforcement in both a transactional and advisory context.
We provide practical boardroom risk analysis and strategic advice in relation to:
- health and safety responsibilities
- directors' duties
- reputation management
- parent company risk
- preventative counselling
- developing policies and procedures
- day to day compliance with health and safety regulations.
Crisis and disaster response is an area of particular expertise. We are ready to provide support from incident inception to resolution. Working closely with appointed counsel, technical health and safety consultants, and (where there is police involvement) a network of criminal defence specialists, our team provides pragmatic advice in relation to investigations and regulatory proceedings, including interviews under caution, enforcement notices, coronial inquests and prosecutions.
We have deep experience in advising on health and safety matters across a broad remit of higher risk sectors, including healthcare, education, manufacturing, energy, power and natural resources, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, food and drink, leisure and travel.
