Category: health & safety

COVID-19: “Legal view: how to implement site operating procedures” – Atkin Chambers

Posted May 12th, 2020 in construction industry, coronavirus, health & safety, news by sally

‘“There have been as many plagues as wars in history, yet always plagues and wars take people equally by surprise” – these words from Albert Camus’ The Plague sum up how the COVID-19 pandemic has taken the world by storm. The UK’s construction industry is facing the greatest challenge since Brexit, but there is little specific guidance from Westminster on the way forward. Whereas all non-essential sites in Scotland have been ordered to close, sites across the rest of the country have been left in the unenviable position of having to decide whether they should remain open.’

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Atkin Chambers, 6th May 2020

Source: www.atkinchambers.com

Coronavirus: Do I have to go back to work after lockdown? – BBC News

Posted May 12th, 2020 in coronavirus, employment, health & safety, news by sally

‘The government has started easing lockdown restrictions, with more people now encouraged to start returning to work.’

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BBC News, 11th May 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘Join A Union’: Lawyers Warn Right To Refuse To Work Has Limits – Each Other

Posted May 12th, 2020 in coronavirus, employment, health & safety, news, trade unions by sally

‘Lawyers are urging people concerned by Boris Johnson’s back-to-work message to join a union and seek legal advice before exercising their right to refuse to work.’

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Each Other, 11th May 2020

Source: eachother.org.uk

The Coronavirus and Employers’ Liability for PPE – Ropewalk Chambers

Posted May 7th, 2020 in coronavirus, doctors, employment, health & safety, news, nurses, protective equipment by sally

‘The Coronavirus pandemic is likely to lead to litigation in various forms1; indeed, two doctors are reported to have already intimated a public law challenge to the lawfulness of the personal protective equipment (PPE) guidance published by the Department of Health and Social Care, and Public Health England.’

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Ropewalk Chambers, 4th May 2020

Source: www.ropewalk.co.uk

Health and Safety Claims Under The Employment Rights Act 1996 – Thomas More Chambers

Posted May 7th, 2020 in coronavirus, employment, health & safety, news by sally

‘At the present time, the issue of health and safety at work has never been more important. Employees on the frontline are, in many cases, being cajoled, threatened and bullied to attend work in circumstances where they have very legitimate concerns about the potential of being infected by Covid-19. Further, employees are often being forced to work in circumstances where their employers have failed to implement adequate health and safety measures. The continuing failure by the Government to provide adequate PPE to healthcare professionals is the most prominent example of such failures.’

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Thomas More Chambers, 4th May 2020

Source: www.thomasmore.co.uk

Company Director Disqualification in the Criminal Courts – Henderson Chambers

Posted May 7th, 2020 in company directors, disqualification, environmental protection, health & safety, news, prosecutions by sally

‘Criminal courts have sweeping powers to disqualify directors arising from prosecutions for regulatory crime, with far-reaching consequences for companies and individuals. This Alerter provides an essential guide for practitioners to approaching director’s disqualification orders at a time when the HSE, Environment Agency and other regulators show a growing appetite to prosecute individuals.’

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Henderson Chambers, 29th April 2020

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Contracting Covid-19 at work – who needs to know? Chief Coroner’s Guidance 37 & RIDDOR – Park Square Barristers

Posted May 7th, 2020 in coronavirus, coroners, employment, health & safety, news, notification by sally

‘The vast majority of deaths from Covid-19 will not be referred to the Coroner and even fewer will result in an inquest into the death. However, when an employee dies from Covid-19 it may have to be reported to both the Health and Safety Executive (“HSE”) and the Coroner.’

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Park Square Barristers, 29th April 2020

Source: www.parksquarebarristers.co.uk

Working from Home during COVID-19 – Thomas More Chambers

Posted May 7th, 2020 in confidentiality, coronavirus, data protection, flexible working, health & safety, news, working time by sally

‘During these unprecedented times, working from home on a full-time basis has become the ‘new normal’. This is in stark contrast to before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic began, when out of 32.6 million people in employment, only 1.7 million regularly worked from home. The change to enforced homeworking was swift and represented significant changes to the lifestyle and routines of both employers and employees, which, in turn, creates a number of legal and practical issues for employers. It is currently unknown how long homeworking will last for, or indeed if the outbreak of COVID-19 will cause a shift towards homeworking on a permanent basis.’

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Thomas More Chambers, 30th April 2020

Source: www.thomasmore.co.uk

Coronavirus: Draft post-lockdown workplace rules contain ‘huge gaps’ – TUC – BBC News

Posted May 5th, 2020 in coronavirus, employment, health & safety, news, trade unions by sally

‘Draft guidance for getting people back to work during the coronavirus pandemic could compromise worker safety, the head of the TUC has warned.’

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BBC News, 4th May 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

COVID-19 Deaths and PPE – The Coroner’s Role – Parklane Plowden Chambers

Posted May 4th, 2020 in chambers articles, coronavirus, coroners, doctors, emergency services, health, health & safety, hospitals, inquests, news, nurses by sally

‘Inevitably the COVID-19 pandemic will result in a significant increase in the workload of coroners and the number of inquests being heard. Cases where the virus may have been contracted in the workplace setting including frontline workers because of the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) may be one significant area of potential inquiry.’

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Parklane Plowden Chambers, 4th May 2020

Source: www.parklaneplowden.co.uk

Covid-19 deaths and Inquests – Doughty Street Chambers

Posted May 4th, 2020 in chambers articles, coronavirus, coroners, death in custody, employment, health & safety, hospitals, industrial injuries, inquests, news by sally

‘An Inquest is not a foregone conclusion, since death by prevalent disease will not necessarily be considered “unnatural”. There is new guidance issued today (28 April 2020) by the Chief Coroner as to the circumstances in which in Inquest will be appropriate.’

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Doughty Street Chambers, 28th April 2020

Source: insights.doughtystreet.co.uk

COVID-19 and Immigration Detention – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted May 1st, 2020 in coronavirus, detention, health, health & safety, immigration, news by sally

‘At the start of the year, some 1,200 immigrants were being held in immigration detention in the UK. The power to detain immigrants is separate from detention of individuals as part of a criminal sentence. There is a presumption against detention of immigrants and immigration detention, which can only be in accordance with one of the statutory powers (the majority of which are contained in the Immigration Act 1971 and the Immigration and Asylum Act 2002), and is allowed in the interests of maintaining effective immigration control, for example, to effect removal; to establish a person’s identity or the basis of their immigration claim; or where there is reason to believe that the person will fail to comply with any conditions attached to a grant of immigration bail.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 30th April 2020

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Coronavirus: Jury trials face ‘biggest change since WW2’ – BBC News

Posted May 1st, 2020 in barristers, coronavirus, courts, health, health & safety, judges, juries, legal profession, news, solicitors, statistics, trials by sally

‘Coronavirus could prompt the biggest changes to jury trials since World War Two, the head of judiciary in England and Wales has told the BBC.’

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BBC News, 30th April 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

The Frontline Doctors Challenging The Government’s Handling Of Covid-19 – Each Other

Posted April 29th, 2020 in coronavirus, doctors, equality, government departments, health, health & safety, hospitals, judicial review, news, standards by sally

‘On Thursday (23 April), the couple launched a legal challenge against the government’s guidance on personal protective equipment (PPE), which they argue exposes them to coronavirus infections.’

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Each Other, 28th April 2020

Source: eachother.org.uk

Covid 19 Employment Law Series: Furloughing ‘at risk’ employees – Parklane Plowden

Posted April 28th, 2020 in coronavirus, emergency powers, health & safety, HM Revenue & Customs, news, remuneration by sally

‘Can “shielding employees” (those who are extremely vulnerable to a Covid 19 infection) be furloughed; and what of that wider group, including pregnant women and those over 70, thought to be more at risk than the population at large, many of whom have been sent home by their employers on health and safety grounds?’

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Parklane Plowden, 23rd April 2020

Source: www.parklaneplowden.co.uk

Doctor couple challenge UK government on PPE risks to BAME staff – The Guardian

Posted April 27th, 2020 in coronavirus, doctors, equality, government departments, health, health & safety, news by sally

‘Two doctors are launching a legal challenge over government guidance on personal protective equipment which they say exposes them to coronavirus infections.’

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The Guardian, 24th April 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Has the government broken the law by putting NHS staff in harm’s way? – The Guardian

Posted April 27th, 2020 in coronavirus, doctors, duty of care, government departments, health, health & safety, hospitals, human rights, inquiries, news, nurses by sally

‘If there have been systemic flaws over PPE, ministers could be in breach of the European convention on human rights.’

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The Guardian, 25th April 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

COVID-19 and Immigration Bail Applications – One Pump Court

Posted April 24th, 2020 in bail, chambers articles, coronavirus, detention, health, health & safety, human rights, immigration, news by sally

‘Whilst the current pandemic has affected us all, those in detention are impacted in particularly harmful ways. Visits to immigration removal centres have been suspended, and those with COVID-19 symptoms are effectively placed in solitary confinement. The Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights has called for immigration detainees to be released, as many States have had to suspend removals and it is unclear when these might be resumed. The primary goal of immigration detention is to effect removal, and so continued detention as such may seem arbitrary.’

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One Pump Court, 21st April 2020

Source: onepumpcourt.co.uk

COVID-19 and Prisons: The Coronavirus Restricted Temporary Release Scheme, Pregnant Prisoners and Children in Custody – One Pump Court

Posted April 24th, 2020 in chambers articles, children, coronavirus, detention, health, health & safety, immigration, jurisdiction, news, pregnancy, prisons by sally

‘COVID-19 is a dangerous reality for prisoners. As of 18 April 2020, confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported in over half of prisons in England and Wales. There have been 13 suspected COVID-19 deaths among prisoners[1]. Amongst this wider concern, those who are pregnant and children in custody may be particularly anxious during this unprecedented time.’

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One Pump Court, 21st April 2020

Source: onepumpcourt.co.uk

Judiciary sets up working party to bring back jury trials – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted April 24th, 2020 in coronavirus, courts, health, health & safety, judiciary, juries, news, trials by sally

‘The prospect of jury trials restarting has come closer with news that the judiciary has set up a working party to consider how they can be brought back as soon as it is safe to do so. The news comes shortly after lord chancellor Robert Buckland said he wanted jury trials back up and running as quickly as possible.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 24th April 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk