#perthracecourse #networking...
Author: willshek
Bubbletime!
What time is it??? It’s #bubbletime #fizz#clientmeeting #lawyerlife #aberdeen...
“Hold me closer, Tony Danza.”
It always makes us laugh at the different words we all sign to the same song. What about you? Do you do this?...
“Aaaahhhhhhhh………!”
Work hard and play hard but always #besafe!...
Office with a View.
With weather like this, can’t wait for the weekend #tgif...
If Only…
Who likes our new office water machine? 😉...
UK Offshore Safety Directive Regulator.
The UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Department for the Environment and Climate Change (DECC), working in partnership, now form the Offshore Safety Directive Regulator (OSDR). OSDR will act as the competent authority responsible for overseeing industry compliance with the EU Offshore Directive on the safety of offshore oil and gas operations....
Barrier collapses on baby’s pram leads to fine.
On 23 September 2014 Construction firm Kier Construction Ltd was fined £4,000 for safety failings after a barrier was blown on top of a pram injuring an 18-week-old baby. The Company plead guilty to breaching Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. Stirling Sheriff Court heard that on 24...
Directors prosecuted for worker death failings.
The co- directors of a former London scaffolding firm have been prosecuted after a trainee worker fell to his death from a poorly constructed scaffold in Westminster. Sonny Holland, 20, from Orpington, sustained multiple head injuries in the six-metre fall at Whitehall Place on 24 April 2008. He died in hospital the following day....
Corporate manslaughter conviction.
Waste management company, Sterecycle (Rotherham) Limited, was found guilty of corporate manslaughter and fined £500,000 following the death of an employee. This incident occurred at the company’s plant in South Yorkshire in January 2011. In October 2012, Sterecycle ceased operations after having been placed into administration. It is uncertain how much of the £500,000 fine will...
Pharmaceutical company fined £100,000 after man sprayed by toxic chemical.
A North East pharmaceutical company were fined on 20 September 2014 for a serious safety breach which left a worker fighting for his life in hospital. The employee, from Tyne and Wear, was sprayed with seven litres of bromine as he removed cables from a valve connected to pipework at Aesica Pharmaceuticals on the Windmill Industrial...
Spectator Safety at Motor Sporting Events.
As a self confessed petrol head, I follow the motorbike racing circuit, but find myself constantly faced with the devastating reality of the danger. This month, Malachi Mitchell-Thomas, 20 from Chorley in Lancashire, was killed at the North West 200 race in Northern Ireland when he crashed his Burrows Engineering Kawasaki on the approach...
Work equipment: where to draw the line?
The case of Coia v Portvadie Estates Ltd CSIH 3 raised questions of what is and what is not: (i) “work equipment” in terms of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998; and (ii) “a workplace” in terms of the Workplace (Health, Safety & Welfare) Regulations 1992. C was employed as a chef...
£200,000 fine for corporate manslaughter.
The building and joining firm, Peter Mawson Ltd, and its owner were sentenced on 3 February 2015 at Preston Crown Court, following an incident in 2011 where a man died after falling through a fragile roof. The emergency services attended West Cumberland Farmers LTD, Lindal, Ulverston, following a report that a man had fallen...
CAA Reports on progress of offshore helicopter operations.
The CAA published a report on the progress of its Safety Review of offshore helicopter operations. The comprehensive Safety Review that commenced in February 2014, examined the risks to helicopter operations to support the oil and gas industries in and around the North Sea. It identified a wide range of opportunities to improve the...
Health Board fined after pensioner struck by van.
Lothian Health Board was fined £40,000 following a guilty plea to section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, when a pensioner was struck dead by one of its vans. The woman crossed a clearly marked pedestrian route into Edinburgh’s Western General Hospital when she was struck by the reversing...
Chessington fined £150k after child suffers fractured skull.
Chessington World of Adventures Operations Ltd was fined £150,000 and ordered to pay £21,614 in costs after pleading guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The charges were brought after a girl suffered a fractured skull, bleeding to the brain and broken ribs when she fell from the raised...
Safety failings led to death of employee.
The sawmill company, A. Diamond and Son, has been fined a total of £75,000 and ordered to pay £15,832 in costs for safety failings that led to the death of employee, Peter Lennon in September 2012. The sentence followed a guilty plea to the charge of corporate manslaughter in December 2014. A joint investigation...
CDM 2015 simplified.
With just under 50 days until the CDM Regulations 2015 potentially come into force and the CDM Regulations 2007 revoked, do you know what needs to happen between then and now? If a project is underway and will still be ongoing on 6 April 2015 it can carry on as is IF it will...
Offshore services co fined following death.
Offshore services company, Bilfinger Salamis UK Limited, has been fined £100,000 for serious safety failings following an incident in which a worker died after plunging 23 metres from a North Sea platform into the sea. Mr Lee Bertram on 16 June 2011 was using ropes to: access below the deck; and carry out a...
Care home managers charged with manslaughter
In England, 3 care home managers have been charged with manslaughter following the death of an 86-year-old woman who died two weeks after the property was shut down by inspectors. Ivy Atkin died in November 2012, a fortnight after she was moved from Autumn Grange Care Home in Sherwood Rise, Nottingham, into another care home. Inspectors...
Lack of guarding leads to serious consequences.
An Ayrshire waste recycling firm has been fined £118,000 on 6 October 2014 for serious safety failings after an agency worker severed his left arm at the shoulder while clearing a conveyor belt blockage. Steven Dawson, then aged 28, was working as a line supervisor for Lowmac Alloys Ltd at its premises on the...
Your mission should you choose to accept it…
Having attempted my first blog with the rather apt name of ‘Blog Off’… the time has now come for me to follow through with my blogging promises. This means actually trying to put together an informative piece which someone might actually find interesting (it can happen) and useful. I will therefore attempt a very...
Risky Business… or just Risk Assessments…
Here we go again… for some reason I keep thinking of Tom Cruise films and this time the topic of risk assessments made me think of Risky Business – some might say the film that launched his career. Not least for the scene of him sliding into shot from the side in his pants...
Mile high club? No, the mile high blogging club & a little H&S.
This blog is currently coming to you from 22,000 feet (and climbing). Sorry to do this to you but I am jetting off on holiday and, yes I love my work so much I thought I would work on the plane! Although don’t worry I don’t have a glass of fizz in my hand…...
Substance Abuse, Good Hands & Weights aka COSHH, Manual Handling & Equipment.
I have been sitting staring at my computer screen for about 30 minutes trying to consider how to write about the next H&S topics and even I am struggling with how to put this down in a #Fun way…. Not least because my mind keeps drifting off to when is it okay to order...
Accidents, Prosecutions & the Law.
ER, The Good Wife and reality… So I love, and I do mean love, the above TV shows. In fact I could sit up all night and overdose (forgive the pun) on them both. But what do they have to do with Health & Safety I hear you ask… Well, probably not a lot...
Where does your business stand on slavery?
For many slavery may seem like an antiquated concept. One from many years ago, one that is banished and no longer of relevance. The truth of the matter however is that perhaps it still exists but in different forms of the traditional word ‘slavery’. Indeed, taking this further into modern day application as of...
Scotland’s stand against human trafficking.
Following on from our last blog on the subject, we bring you a specific update regarding human trafficking in Scotland. The Scottish Parliament recently approved the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Bill. Under the bill the Scottish government is under a duty to develop and maintain a “Scottish Trafficking and Exploitation Strategy” in conjunction with other...
Directors behaving badly…
Unlike one of my favourite programmes in the 90s, Men Behaving Badly, directors behaving badly is no laughing matter. I loved the mischief that Gary and Tony got up to and the stereotypical male behaviour of the two of them. However when a director gets up to mischief, it can have severe consequences on...
Special skills, Success and Saving the world…
When you hear special skills what do you think of? Heroes, avengers and special agents or just what people are good at? I bet you don’t think of company law and directors… Some however may want or need to know if they require any special skills or qualifications to become a director. When setting...
Right to Light?
The Law Commission published its recommendations and draft Right to Light (Injunctions) Bill on 4 December 2014. The intention is to demystify the confusing mix of old statute and case law and to reduce the scope and length of disputes. Key recommendations include: a new notice procedure by which a developer could require neighbouring landowners to inform them, within...
Who will be Principal Designer?
The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015) make the role of CDM co-ordinator obsolete and introduce the principal designer (PD). The associated, draft guidance (L153) offers no scenarios describing who might be PD under different procurement models nor the skills, knowledge, experience and organisational capability that they require. We therefore don’t know...
Girl power!
No, not the Spice Girls rather the fact that the number of female solicitors in Scotland overtakes male for first time! http://www.lawscot.org.uk/news/2015/12/scottish-solicitors-now-majority-female/ (oh, here you go then)...
Champagne, Clothing, Teenagers and OO7 – relevant to H&S?
So you will probably be wondering why on the earth we have used such a random title? Let’s face it H&S welfare, working environment and provision of clothing, equipment and assistance doesn’t really cut it as one of the top headline grabbing titles. Certainly doesn’t jump out and make you think I must read...
Cuddle Tuesday!
Give us a cuddle… Anyone else feel like curling up and having a bosie? #CuddleTuesday Posting for no other reason than it’s cute and we want one…...
What a commute!
Beautiful view on the way to the office.#aberdeenshire #deeside #gloriousviews#travellinglawyers...
Champagne?
It’s Friday!! And the answer is definitely “YES!!” #lawyersatwork #itshowweroll...
’nuff said!
Have a great weekend!...
All’s clear in Terms & Conditions…well maybe not.
What do you ensure within your terms and conditions? Do you ensure that they are ‘fair’ on all parties? What do you consider fair? Do you think that your online terms should be different? This has been ‘hot’ news lately and the focus is on ‘online’ Terms and Conditions. With Facebook, Apple and Paypal...
It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Aint Got That Bling.
The title of this blog in this case applies to our website, Fergusonlegal.co.uk, and it also applies to shoes but that’s another story on with the blog… I thought it would be cool to share our experiences of revamping our website, it’s quite a process but I’m happy to say well worth the final...
Love, Life or Business … it’s all personal.
When people set out on the road to business it is often like setting out in a relationship with a love interest… It is all smiles, dreams, what if’s and would/ could be’s and everything smells of roses. So high on the possibilities of what is to come and conquering the world – often...
Keeping the Wolf (of Wall Street) from the door…
Although The Wolf of Wall Street is a fantastic movie it’s not an example of how we should run our companies. In the real world we need everything to be above board in the board room with regards private dealings, conflicts, shares and contracts… This follows our blog on directors’ responsibilities, focusing on individual directors...
Alton Towers owner guilty over roller coaster crash.
When you hear the words health and safety what do you think? Yawn? Boring? Will look at it later? Well this story is sure to make you sit up and listen. The owner of Alton Towers Merlin Attractions Operations Ltd (“Merlin”) is facing a multimillion-pound fine after admitting breaking health and safety laws over...
Time for an Inspection?
Knowing that you have a health and safety inspection of any kind is enough to work most people into a bit of a panic! There’s just something about the thought of a perceptive man or woman wondering around your workplace, armed with a clipboard and a sharp eye… But if you’re about to get...
Healthy body=healthy mind=new business?
Whether it’s tennis or golf (maybe not boxing) here’s an interesting article about doing business in those settings http://www.forbes.com/sites/cherylsnappconner/2013/01/24/19-tips-for-closing-a-deal-on-the-golf-course/#4877ca2e205a ...
Aberdeen offshore H&S update.
The summary report on the outcome of the joint DECC / HSE consultation on the implementation of the Offshore Safety Directive (2013 / 30 / EU), and the government response to the issues raised is now published. The consultation (CD272) which closed on 24 September 2014, also gathered views on the review of two...
The Importance of Traffic Management.
On average, 7 workers are killed every year as a result of collisions with vehicles or mobile plant on construction sites. Approximately a further 90-100 are seriously injured. Workplace transport incidents are the second most common cause of serious and fatal incidents in the construction industry, yet they could easily be avoided by having proper...
“I’d like to thank….”
It’s a double whammy for Ferguson Legal! We’ve just been announced as AI’s Most Innovative Law Firm in Scotland 2016 along with winning Women in Law’s, Health & Safety Lawyer of the Year. We’re honoured to receive these accolades and hopefully they’re a recognition that we’re trying to be the fresh and innovative firm we set...
Outsource it!
Ever wanted the benefits of an inhouse lawyer without the commitment? Designed for companies who need inhouse counsel without the requirement of a full time commitment or to supplement under-resourced legal departments. Our tailored and flexible service offers a lawyer on demand who will become intimate with your business and its appetite for risk while...
a bit about us.
Get Law Savvy is the blog partner of Ferguson Legal where the team has a chance to show the fun side of the law… Well, when your MD jumps out of a plane to celebrate turning 40, it’s kind of endemic in the office. Our favourite day is Friday so we can get away...