Boss acquitted of manslaughter of employee

Michael Wolkind QC acted for RJ, the Director of a building company. The defendant sent workers to carry out repairs on an industrial roof. The workers did not wear any protective clothing nor were they harnessed or anchored in any way. They had received no specific training for working at height. One of the men fell to his death after crashing through a skylight. Although the company had been audited and warned months before for numerous Health & Safety failings, the jury were persuaded that any breaches here did not amount to gross negligence.

Category: Cases | Date: April 2011