The author of an independent review into fire safety and building regulations has warned it is impossible to rule out another “catastrophic event” like the Grenfell Tower tragedy if changes aren’t made to the regulatory system. Addressing delegates at IOSH 2018, the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health’s annual international conference, Dame Judith Hackitt said she was “truly shocked” about standards in the built environment when she started her review. She said it is vital that there is a culture change implemented as so... Continue reading

Union Unite is accusing the government of using a new bill to shield employers who play ‘fast and loose’ with the safety of workers from having to pay compensation to those they injure. The proposals are covered by the Civil Liability bill, which was due to have its second reading in the House of Commons on 4 September. Although not formally part of the bill, the government has said there will be an increase in the small claims limit. The small claims limit is currently set at £1,000, which means that very few workplace injury claims are ... Continue reading

The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 (CMCHA) received royal assent in July 2007 and came into force on 6 April the following year. Championed by then Labour Home Secretary John Reid, it was intended to replace the existing common law offence of corporate manslaughter, which had led to only a handful of successful prosecutions of businesses and organisations, following workplace deaths. Many in the transport and driver risk management arena welcomed the new legislation, believing it would make it easier to hold organisati... Continue reading

Minister for Women and Equalities, Penny Mordaunt, has told men in leadership roles, everyone will benefit if we address “the inequalities of the gender pay gap”. The Minister delivered her speech during an event at St James’s Palace for 90 business leaders. Only 29% of FTSE 100 board members are female, and only 13 CEOs and 21 Chairs in the FTSE 350 are women. But a recent report shows that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity in their executive teams are 21% more likely to have above-average profitability than companies ... Continue reading

The jurisdiction of Employment Tribunals, and the areas where they share jurisdiction with the civil courts to hear employment and discrimination claims, are being independently reviewed in a consultation paper. The Law Commission – an independent body set up to reform the law – has published a consultation paper that asks questions about many areas of shared and exclusive jurisdiction to hear employment law and discrimination law claims. Law Commissioner, Nicholas Paines QC, said: “The Law Commission welcomed the opportunity to conduc... Continue reading