Health & Safety Leadership In Construction: The Legal Requirements

Whilst every precaution should be taken to avoid health and safety incidents, accidents are an unfortunate and inevitable fact of life. An HSE investigation following a serious incident has the potential to become very stressful and difficult to manage.

There is often little time to think properly about the incident being investigated and how best to formulate the company’s responses.

BSG’s course ‘Health & Safety Leadership in Construction: The Legal Requirements’, delivered by Richard Voke, will demonstrate how companies must seek to ensure that their policies and systems are designed to quickly and effectively respond; in order to minimise any potential likelihood of repetition and to properly manage any potential consequences for affected parties.

During the session, Richard Voke, who specialises in Health & Safety law for construction companies, will address:

• A brief instruction to Health & Safety law management
• Senior Management liability and leadership in the construction sector
• What should you do if an HSE Inspector calls?
• How to respond and investigate a serious accident
• How to prepare your business to deal with an HSE / EA investigation including
• The stages on an investigation process including: ‘Evidence gathering’, ‘Interview under caution’ and ‘Notification of Contravention / FFI / Prosecution
• A brief guide to Health & safety sentencing, hearings, and trials
• Proactive strategies to reduce the chances of an HSE investigation in the first instance
• Reactive strategies to ensure the best possible outcome of an investigation
• Further development of the consequences and how liability works supported with illustrative case studies examining: HSE prosecution, corporate and individual manslaughter, fines and prison sentences

Richard handles Risk, Compliance & Investigations matters, advising and defending organisations in their dealings with regulatory bodies such as the HSE, the Environment Agency, Environmental Health, the Food Standards Agency, Trading Standards, and fire authorities. His caseload includes numerous workplace fatalities and associated inquests. He has worked extensively with high-hazard industries such as energy, construction, waste and manufacturing. He has developed a proactive approach including training, monitoring and development to help avoid regulatory challenges and enforcement.

Before becoming a solicitor in 2000, Richard worked for eight years as an HSE inspector/investigator and for two years as a risk management consultant for AEAT plc. He also has an MSc in Environmental Toxicology. In litigation, Richard uses his prosecution experience to ensure that his clients achieve the best possible defence. The Legal 500 has described him as “outstanding both in the depth of his knowledge and in his pragmatic and tactical approach”. He is a member of our Energy & Environment team. Before joining Temple Bright in 2019, Richard was a partner and head of the business risk and regulation team at Ashfords.

Book your place by calling our Training Services Team on 0300 304 9080 or email Training@BSGltd.co.uk with your enquiry.

This course is available to BSG Members only.