A woman recruited from India to work in Britain has been awarded nearly £184,000 compensation in one of the UK’s first claims of caste discrimination. Ms Tirkey was a domestic worker for Mr and Mrs Chandhok for four years until 2012. Her inherited caste is recognised in Indian culture as the ‘servant caste’. Ms Tirkey was recruited directly from India by the Chandhoks and required to work under what has been described as appalling conditions such as being paid just 11p an hour, working 18 hours a day and having to sleep on the floor. ... Continue reading

On 4 September 2015, Hugo Boss UK Ltd were handed a £1.2 million fine for failing to discharge a duty under Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (duty to others), and a breach of Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, Regulation 3 (risk assessment). The case follows a tragic accident on 4 June 2013 in which a four year old boy, who was in the store at Bicester Outlet Village with his parents, was fatally injured after a large free standing mirror fell onto him. The case was taken under H&S legislation as opp... Continue reading

6 October sees the implementation of every aspect of CDM 2015 to construction in the UK, without exception. The underlying emphasis by HSE in its goal to secure health and safety in construction is to ensure everyone at every level, and whatever the task, is “competent”. Under previous construction regulations there were “stages” for assessing competence and many organisations exist offering some form of membership to achieve compliance, primarily amongst contractors. Although such organisations may yet provide a form of assurance of ... Continue reading

The strangest thing about Mark Carney’s comments yesterday on the perils of climate change were not the words themselves, but rather the media reaction to them. There seems to have been a marked realisation that – if the Governor of the Bank of England is fearful of the impact of climate change – it must be ‘really serious’. I don’t know if my reading of the media reaction is wrong – but it’s interesting that Mr Carney’s warning is reported in today’s Financial Times but there is no reference to it in the London Metro. T... Continue reading

October sees a key date to ensure compliance with the revised Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 15).   CDM 15 came into force on 6 April 2015, aiming to streamline the management of health and safety for larger and/or more complex construction projects in the light of the Löfstedt review of regulation in the health and safety sector.   One of the main changes was to do away with the role of CDM Coordinator, moving the responsibility for the coordination of health and safety to the Principal Designer.   Recognising ... Continue reading