Bond Pearce

With 15 lawyers specialising in health and safety, we believe we have one of the largest health and safety teams in the UK.  Comprising ex-prosecutors and defence solicitors, with all partners having over 20 years' experience in this area, we have developed sector specialisms so we not only understand the law but how it applies to specific industry sectors such as energy, retail, hospitality and leisure, and construction.  This, coupled with our unrivalled experience in relation to specific areas of health and safety law such as fire, COMAH, asbestos and corporate manslaughter, has meant we are the firm of choice for the leading energy and retail companies operating in the UK.

What we do

Risk and regulatory issues covers a vast spectrum of laws, regulations and statutory guidance, each of which has the potential to make a significant impact on the running of our clients' organisations and their business reputations. In addition, many of the laws have direct impact on directors as officers of the company. We have one of the largest and most respected risk and regulatory departments with specialist teams within it providing focused advice on all key risk areas in both the private and public sector.

Clients look to us for help in developing their national and international health and safety management approach, risk management, policies and procedures.  All members of the team regularly appear before the Criminal Courts, Civil Courts, Coroners and Tribunals.

The team's national practice deals with both contentious and non-contentious aspects of the law, with work including: 

  • dealing with prosecutions and appeals against statutory notices in all Courts and tribunals in the UK
  • judicial review proceedings in relation to health, safety and environment matters, including the nature and extent of statutory powers and enforcement authorities, abuse of process, Inquests and Human Rights Act issues
  • all aspects of investigations by the Health and Safety Executive and other regulatory bodies
  • dealing with inquests, statutory inquiries and internal inquiries
  • advising on corporate governance and best practice to companies in terms of safety, health and environmental management
  • advising on serious incident protocols and procedures for dealing with critical incidents and subsequent investigations by regulatory authorities
  • advising on all aspects of corporate manslaughter including business structuring from a risk management perspective, advising on investigations by police and defending prosecutions brought by the CPS
  • statutory and internal inquiries
  • corporate governance issues relating to health and safety
  • prosecutions of both corporate defendants and individuals.

Our work

  • Buncefield - the biggest safety case of the year, arising out of the prosecution of five defendants following the largest explosion in peace time Britain
  • New Look - the first Appeal case under the new Fire Safety regime, which set the sentencing tests for fire safety cases
  • Marble City - the first Appeal case to consider the new Sentencing Guidelines for fatal health and safety cases
  • prosecuting Airbus UK for a fatality to a member of the public at the Concorde Visitor attraction site
  • advising the HSE on potential prosecutions arising from the death of a teenage girl in a fairground accident, and representing the HSE in an appeal against an Improvement Notice which potentially has wide ranging implications for the quarrying industry
  • prosecuting British Waterways Board following a double fatality on the Sharpness Canal
  • securing a conditional discharge for breaches of a Prohibition Notice for a multi-site client
  • defending a client in relation to a prosecution relating to an outbreak of legionella bacteria.  We succeeded in having charges reduced and successfully mitigating to ensure the matter was heard in the Magistrates' Court
  • defending a large prosecution in Scotland, relating to a customer who slipped in the client's premises.  The client faced fines of up to £90,000, as well as a charge for deception.  We successfully negotiated with Procurator Fiscal to have the charges dropped
  • successfully appealing Enforcement and Prohibition Notices for clients on a wide range of issues relating to unsuitable flooring, temperature controls and unsafe equipment
  • advising non-executive directors of a Plc on their potential personal liability for health, safety and environmental issues
  • advising Royal Mail Group on health and safety issues relating to a longstanding industrial dispute, and acting for them on various appeals against Improvement Notices which had repercussions for the business nationally
  • successfully defending an operator called to a 3rd maintenance Public Enquiry in 4 years
  • advising and defending an operator in connection with a Public Enquiry arising out of a fatal coach accident
  • defending at trial allegations of careless driving / fail to stop / fail to report. Costs recovered  £7156.13
  • securing the reinstatement of a wrongly revoked licence which uniquely involved consideration of cross border issues and European Law.

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Key Contacts

Bond Pearce LLP is a leading commercial law firm providing regulatory, corporate, commercial, real estate and dispute resolution services to some of the UK’s pre-eminent organisations. We are recognised nationally particularly for our work in the energy, commercial insurance, real estate and retail sectors, and for our approach to client service. © Copyright 2011 Bond Pearce LLP. All rights reserved. 3, Temple Quay, Temple Back East Bristol, BS1 6DZ