Health & Safety

If you own, manage or operate property, understanding and discharging health and safety duties is fundamental. Our health and safety team helps you assess your risk profile, interpret the relevant legal and regulatory framework, and put in place systems that stand up to scrutiny and reduce the risk of enforcement action.

We advise on the development and review of policies and procedures covering building safety, fire safety and wider property-related risks. Where it adds value, we deliver focused training for operational teams, executive leadership and boards, ensuring responsibilities are clearly understood and appropriately governed. Our advice is designed to demonstrate compliance in day-to-day decision-making, not simply at audit stage.

If you are dealing with a work-related injury, fatality or dangerous occurrence, early advice is critical. Our health and safety solicitors regularly support clients facing RIDDOR reportable incidents and guide them through each stage of the process.

We advise on whether an incident is reportable and which organisation is responsible for reporting; assist with the preparation of suitable and sufficient reports to the HSE; and carry out investigations into RIDDOR reportable incidents. We also help you understand the financial, reputational and corporate governance risks that may follow, manage correspondence with the HSE, and review internal procedures to reduce future exposure.

We recognise the operational and emotional impact these incidents can have. Our role is to provide clear, constructive advice that explains your obligations, assesses risk realistically and sets out the next steps, often helping matters progress to informed and proportionate outcomes.

When a serious accident or incident occurs, leadership teams are required to act quickly under pressure. Our health and safety lawyers are experienced in crisis response and provide calm, commercially grounded advice when it is most needed.

We advise on incidents involving building safety, fire safety and general property health and safety, using established methods to manage the aftermath effectively. This includes supporting investigations, coordinating engagement with regulators, managing media and stakeholder communications, and advising boards, lenders and internal teams. Where incidents lead to enforcement action, inquests, public inquiries or prosecution, we provide robust representation informed by a detailed understanding of how your organisation operates in practice.

Our advice is shaped around your business, your decision-makers and the realities you are managing. That perspective allows us to protect positions, support informed decisions and work towards the best achievable outcome in difficult circumstances.

When an incident raises issues of health and safety or building safety, it is common for regulators to begin an investigation, often with potential criminal prosecution in mind. If you are required to cooperate with an investigation, early advice matters. Our experienced health and safety lawyers regularly advise organisations dealing with enquiries from the Police, the Health and Safety Executive, the Environment Agency, local authorities, Fire & Rescue Services and other regulators.

We also conduct internal investigations, helping boards establish what has happened and decide how best to respond to regulatory and criminal enquiries. This allows organisations to engage constructively with investigators while protecting their legal position. We support you through interviews under caution, whether written or in person, providing clear, steady advice at what is often a highly pressured and demanding time.

Where enforcement action follows, including prosecution, enforcement notices or prohibition orders; we advise promptly on the options available, the potential liability of the organisation and individuals, and the practical next steps.

In the deeply distressing circumstances of a fatality, you may be involved in an inquest and required to provide information to the Coroner. The process is different from the criminal courts and brings its own procedures and terminology, including the role of an “Interested Person”. Understanding these distinctions early can make a significant difference.

An inquest may also run alongside a criminal investigation or prosecution, as well as a potential civil claim, for example by the family of the deceased. Each process has a different purpose and outcome, and managing them at the same time can be challenging. Our experienced team helps you navigate these parallel processes, offering clear, practical advice when sound judgement and careful coordination are essential.