Related insights: Health and Safety
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Building Safety with Womble Bond Dickinson
Learn more about Building Safety at Womble Bond Dickinson - and how our team of lawyers stay up-to-date on building safety developments across a number of sectors and practice areas.
Court of Appeal rules that HSE notices can be evidence of 'bad character'
A previous Notice of Contravention or Prohibition Notice could potentially be considered evidence of "reprehensible behaviour", the HSE v Evergreen Construction UK Ltd ruling stated, if its content and any subsequent correspondence with the regulator reflect the current proceedings. Bad character can be evidenced by "reprehensible behaviour" as well as previous convictions, as per the Criminal Justice Act 2003. As a result, a Notice of Contravention can be used to establish a "propensity to commit offences of the kind" that a defendant currently faces.
Protect Duty – what does it actually mean to owners and operators?
The draft Protect Duty bill is set to get its first reading in Spring 2023. Protect Duty, which is also known as "Martyn's Law", was campaigned for by the mother of one the victims of the Manchester Arena attack in 2017. The duty is intended to apply to the whole of the UK with an aim of enhancing security at certain publicly accessible locations and venues to ensure the public is better protected from constantly evolving terror threats.