Home / Europe / United Kingdom / Environment / Health & Safety

Health & Safety

Back to Environment

Health & Safety is of paramount importance to all businesses. As an increasingly regulated area, every employer must comply with health and safety rules to protect employees, contractors, visitors and the general public. These regulations also put responsibility on all employees, so it is vital that everyone is aware of the relevant legislation.

As an employer, you may need advice on regulatory matters, risk management, corporate governance, enforcement actions, transactional due diligence or claims for compensation.

The CMS Health & Safety Team advises all types of businesses, and has particularly strong expertise in supporting the oil & gas, waste and mining sectors. We provide 24-hour support for emergency incidents and respond quickly to incidents of all types – but particularly in the high-hazard industries.

We regularly advise our clients on health and safety prosecutions, accident inquiries, formal interviews and investigations undertaken by inspectors, corporate manslaughter investigations, inquests and fatal accident inquiries, appeals against improvement and prohibition notices, compliance with UK and European regulatory requirements, fire safety regulation, drafting corporate safety policies and contract documentation, safety aspects of projects and property management, due diligence in acquisitions, directors and officers personal liabilities, management training courses, personal injury defence and risk management, and training.

We have significant experience advising in the waste, mining, oil & gas and real estate sectors.

"The group are excellent - they are proactive, pragmatic and commercial."

Chambers, 2024

"It is a very client-focused and commercially aware firm."

Chambers, 2024

"I think CMS is unique in its depth and breadth of knowledge in some of the core client business areas of activity, particularly heavy industry and waste management where many serious and fatal accidents continue to accrue."

Legal 500, 2024

"The team has an innate understanding of their client’s businesses and the risks involved in them, which makes the firm very easy to work with. The resource available at CMS is also second-to-none so every aspect of a case can be dealt with at the very best level no matter how remote or esoteric the point."

Legal 500, 2024

"CMS is a tough outfit where everybody pulls their weight for the client. The work ethic and level of commitment to cases is second-to-none in my experience. The partners lead by example in this respect and Lukas Rootman in particular stands out."

Legal 500, 2024

"Their deep and historic understanding of heavy and waste industries is second-to-none, so they are extremely well-placed to offer advice and act when things go wrong, as they inevitably do in high-risk industries."

Legal 500, 2024

"CMS resources cases well. Individuals genuinely work well together; they seemingly have good synergy across regional offices and departments where cases need a multidisciplinary approach."

Legal 500, 2024

"CMS’ strength in depth across multiple disciplines has enabled them to provide a comprehensive, responsive and much valued service that has contributed immensely to our work."

Legal 500, 2024

"They have an impressive depth of specialist resources to immediately call upon where required."

Legal 500, 2024

"The CMS team has impressed in challenging circumstances with its flexibility, responsiveness and customer focus."

Legal 500, 2024

"CMS is thorough in its approach to complex issues and analysis of such matters, providing sound advice in doing so."

Chambers, 2023

"Extremely knowledgeable yet with expertise covering a wide number of disciplines thereby capable of dealing with complex multi jurisdictional problems."

Legal 500, 2023

"The in depth knowledge of the law and procedures when it comes to health and safety is second to none."

Legal 500, 2022

"The team at CMS has a real understanding of the business we operate. As a result they are often regarded as an integral part of our own team and not as external lawyers. They also have the ability to give very concise guidance on complex issues which assists with overall strategy and decision making."

Legal 500, 2022
07/12/2023
COP28: how the law can unite, act and deliver the UN SDGs
The law, and the work of lawyers, should enable countries, communities and companies to deliver the changes needed to achieve the UN SDGs and the Paris Agreement. As COP28 urges us to unite, act and deliver, Advocates for International Development (A
Law-Now: Health & Safety
Visit Law-Now for legal know-how and commentary
Dawn Raids
Emergency Response

Feed

15/04/2024
Fundamentally dishonest claimant’s claim dismissed: s.57 of the Criminal...
In Kirsty Williams- Henry v Associated British Ports Holdings Ltd [2024] EWHC 806 (KB), a claimant who had sustained serious injuries following her fall from a pier in 2018 had her claim dismissed because...
05/04/2024
Health and safety for production companies – what to be aware of
Health and safety in the film, theatre and broadcasting industries is of paramount importance as the industry involves various high-risk activities such as stunts, special effects, working at height and...
04/04/2024
Supreme Court ruling on the correct approach for assessing PSLA in “mixed...
In a judgment welcomed by claimants, the Supreme Court has upheld the Court of Appeal’s decision in the case of Hassam & Anor v Rabot & Anor [2023] EWCA Civ 19 in respect of the correct approach to...
20/03/2024
Court of Appeal clarifies legal test of reasonable foreseeability in mesothelioma...
The Court of Appeal has issued important guidance on the legal test to be applied in establishing liability in asbestos-related mesothelioma claims. In a number of cases the Judgment will make it harder...
20/03/2024
Court of Appeal determines costs budgeting issue in personal injury claims...
The Court of Appeal has decided that in principle, the Claimant’s solicitors’ costs of attending rehabilitation case management meetings are recoverable as costs of an action.This judgment is significant...
13/03/2024
Court of Appeal rules that defence of illegality in civil claim is not...
In Lewis-Ranwell v G4S Health Services (UK) Ltd and others [2024] EWCA Civ 138, the Court of Appeal recently held, by a majority of 2 to 1, that where a person has committed a crime, but has been found...
01/12/2023
Supreme Court clarifies position on uncontroverted evidence - TUI Ltd v...
The Supreme Court has now clarified the position in relation to uncontroverted evidence.After nine years, TUI Ltd v Griffiths [2023] UKSC 48 has reached a conclusion which most practitioners were expecting...
29/11/2023
Part 4 of the Building Safety Act 2022 – Are you clear on your duties?
The Building Safety Act 2022 (the “BSA”) contains measures that are intended to improve and maintain the safety of Higher-Risk Buildings (“HRBs”) throughout the building lifespan. The BSA is split...
16/11/2023
Criminal liability for injuries in Sport – when does it arise?
It is reported that a man has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter following the death of ice hockey player, Adam Johnson, on 28 October 2023, during a game between the Nottingham Panthers and the...
19/10/2023
Building Safety Act implementation – Wales will be different to England
In England, a new higher-risk buildings approval regime came into force on 1 October, but in Wales the equivalent regime has not yet been issued and is expected to contain some key differences.The regime...
18/09/2023
2 Week Reminder: deadline to register higher-risk occupied buildings
By way of update to our previous article and client briefing, The Building Safety (Registration of Higher-Risk Buildings and Review of Decisions) (England) Regulations 2023 are now in force and the deadline...
13/09/2023
What’s all the RAAC-et about?
Concerns around Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (“RAAC”) have become increasingly widespread since the Department for Education recently issued new guidance on the material’s management in...