And so the firework season begins….  Fireworks are now used widely across many public, corporate and charity events throughout the season and well into the New Year. If you or your organisation are holding a public or private event where fireworks will be used, it is important to remind those involved in some simple precautions to ensure the event is … Read More

An employee of a motorcycle manufacturer who was fired after she called one of her colleagues a ‘knob head’ over a workplace email was unfairly dismissed, the Employment Appeal tribunal (EAT) has upheld. Talon Engineering’s decision to dismiss Mrs. V Smith was found to be unreasonable because of its refusal to postpone her disciplinary hearing for a second time so … Read More

Following the Great British Heat Wave, many employees (and employers) across the country are asking the question: ‘Why isn’t there a legally enforceable maximum workplace temperature?’ This isn’t the first time the question has come up, but it is the first time a maximum workplace temperature has become a real possibility. Why haven’t we already got a maximum workplace temperature? … Read More

Monitoring work activity is no longer just the case of a manager or supervisor directly observing their team, the rapid growth of technology has enabled a wide range of monitoring activities and used inappropriately or unfairly, monitoring could be counter-productive and have a demoralising effect. There are many reasons why organisations may want to monitor the activity of people at … Read More

All employers are required suitable welfare facilities for their workers, this includes: suitable and sufficient sanitary conveniences; suitable and sufficient washing facilities; an adequate supply of wholesome drinking water; suitable and sufficient rest facilities; and where meals are regularly eaten in the workplace, suitable and sufficient facilities for persons at work to eat meals Regulations go on to say that, … Read More

Figures recently released by the Office for National Statistics show that, musculoskeletal problems (including back pain, neck and upper limb problems etc) were responsible for 28.2 million days lost to sickness in 2017. The figures were higher for men at 28% of days lost compared to 18.4% for women. Musculoskeletal problems can often be a result of poor manual handling … Read More

The National Minimum Wage has been the focus of many legal cases recently, with everything from sleep-in shifts and whistleblowing, to national naming and shaming for firms failing to pay the NMW. With so much going on, it can be easy to lose track of what you need to be aware of, and what the latest ruling is. So, here … Read More

A recent report by the TUC found that over half of UK workers believe they are being monitored by a senior member of staff at work. What form does surveillance take? Technology can now be deployed for monitoring in a variety of different ways. Digital monitoring includes techniques such as location tracking, CCTV, facial recognition, social media monitoring, and keyboard … Read More

A designer whose role was changed after her employer became concerned about her anxiety disorder, has won claims for disability discrimination and failure to make reasonable adjustment at her place of work. Jenna Frost, who had suffered from anxiety throughout her life, worked as a senior designer at Colchester-based Retail Design Solutions from April 2014. The tribunal heard that her … Read More

Last year we reported how the Sentencing Council for England and Wales had launched a consultation on proposals on how offenders convicted of manslaughter should be sentenced in England and Wales. New guidelines, to be used from 1st November 2018, have now been launched. The guidelines cover different types of manslaughter, (manslaughter by unlawful act, gross negligence, loss of control, … Read More