Practical health and safety updates for business owners, managers, and duty holders.

Operations Manager Prosecuted Following Fatal Fall — A Wake-Up Call for All Leaders

In a recent case, both a company and its operations manager were successfully prosecuted by the HSE after the tragic death of an employee who fell 20 feet from an unprotected mezzanine. This is unusual, but demonstrates the HSE's move to prosecute individuals for failures in health and safety.

👉 Read the full HSE case study here

What happened?

Employees were routinely exposed to a dangerous mezzanine without edge protection.
Planning was poor, and safe systems of work were absent.
The employee fell and tragically died.

The operations manager was prosecuted under Section 7 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, which requires all employees — especially those with managerial responsibility — to take reasonable care for others. The manager was fined personally and sentenced to 12 months under a community order.

Why this matters to you

This case is not just about corporate responsibility — it's about personal liability. Managers, supervisors, and directors who fail to control foreseeable risks can be fined or even imprisoned. This applies across sectors — manufacturing, logistics, schools, care, construction, and more.

If you are a senior leader or appoint people into positions of responsibility, you must be able to demonstrate that your arrangements are:

Suitable and sufficient
Reviewed regularly
Communicated clearly to staff

Our Shield Audit service is designed specifically to protect your senior team by identifying gaps and helping you build defensible health and safety systems.

👉 Learn more about the Shield Audit and book yours today

Why Staff Training Improves Safety AND Protects Your Business

Training is one of the simplest but most powerful ways to reduce workplace accidents and improve legal defensibility.

When incidents occur, one of the first things the HSE and courts will look at is:

Did staff receive appropriate training?
Were refresher courses provided?
Were records maintained?

A well-trained workforce is safer, and well-documented training records will significantly strengthen your position if you face enforcement or a civil claim.

We offer CPD, RoSPA, and IIRSM approved online training covering:

General Health & Safety Awareness
Fire Safety
COSHH, Manual Handling, Working at Height, and more

👉 See our full online training catalogue here

New Legal Focus — Stress Management Now a Legal Requirement

The HSE has clarified that work-related stress must now be treated as a workplace hazard, assessed and controlled like any other risk under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

👉 Read the official HSE Stress Guidance here

What you must now do:

Identify workplace stressors through a stress risk assessment.
Put in place a stress management policy.
Take action to prevent or reduce stress where it is identified.

From April, we will be supplying:

A Stress Risk Assessment Template
A Model Stress Policy Available free to our retained clients.

Stress is not just an HR issue — it is now a compliance requirement and may be reviewed by enforcement officers during inspections.

If you need help, get in touch and we will help you implement this smoothly.

Construction Sector: Important Changes to Guidance — What You Need to Know

The construction industry has seen significant updates to HSE guidance in early 2025, with particular focus on:

✅ Work at Height

Emphasis on more detailed planning and competent supervision.
Strengthened guidance on selecting and managing fall protection systems.
The HSE expects evidence of suitable and sufficient risk assessments and method statements.

✅ Lifting Operations (LOLER)

Refreshed guidance stresses the importance of proper pre-use checks.
Thorough examination schemes must be tailored, not generic.
Competence of those involved in lifting operations (planners, supervisors, operators) is under greater scrutiny.

✅ Temporary Works

Updates now emphasise the early appointment of a Temporary Works Coordinator.
Improved requirements for temporary works design and inspection.
The HSE is clear that inadequate temporary works arrangements remain a major cause of enforcement action.

Why it matters

These changes are not optional — failing to follow updated guidance can result in enforcement notices, fines, or prosecution under the Health and Safety at Work Act and Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (CDM 2015).

What you should do now:

Review and update your risk assessments, method statements, and training to reflect these changes.
Ensure that your staff and subcontractors are competent, and training records are up to date.
Appoint a Temporary Works Coordinator where relevant.

👉 Read the HSE’s updated construction guidance

Our team is already helping construction clients integrate these changes through audits, updated documentation, and training. If you are unsure how these updates affect you — contact us today.