Gullands hosts health & safety seminar on inspectors? powers
Gullands Solicitors hosted a seminar for health & safety consultants entitled Knowing your Inspector's powers and when to challenge them on 24 May. We were delighted to welcome Nick Ostrowski from 6 Pump Court (Health & safety set of the year, Chambers UK Bar Awards 2013).
The purpose was to remind health & safety consultants of inspectors' powers and areas where they may be open to challenge. Topics covered included:
Appointment of inspectors and the jurisdiction of HSE Inspectors, EHOs and other health & safety bodies
General powers and duties of inspectors
Commonly used powers such as taking statements, samples and conducting interviews
What documents can be asked for
Inspectors' powers when dealing with imminent danger and merits of and procedure for appealing improvement and prohibition notices
Fee for intervention
Andrew Clarke comments: "We especially aimed this event at health & safety consultants, as they may be the first point of contact when businesses are faced with an investigation. Consultants need to know what challenges may (or may not) be worth making and when to seek legal advice. Nick's talk showed us how a health & safety prosecution can sometimes be won or lost in the earliest stages of the investigation - days or even hours after an incident takes place."
Andrew Clarke can be reached at [email protected] or on 01622 689733. He specialises in advising businesses and individuals who are facing investigation or enforcement action by the HSE or other regulatory bodies.