Agricultural and rural settings present significant health and safety risks, which must be carefully managed and mitigated by employers and landowners operating in the sector. This was brought into sharp focus after two fatalities led to prosecutions following investigations by The Health and Safety Executive (HSE). 

Following the Scottish Government’s statement on 15 March 2022 regarding COVID-19 restrictions, organisations should take time to review the status of recently eased restrictions, and those which are to be eased in the coming weeks. These changes will be of particular relevance to businesses and employers throughout Scotland, who should follow the up-to-date guidance when dealing with employees and customers alike. 

Mandatory vaccination and testing is a hot topic, particularly among employers who want to know what they can and cannot insist on. The short answer is, it depends. 

There are a number of legal and practical implications around testing and vaccination, especially if it is to be mandatory. These include discrimination risks, data protection implications, and employee relations issues. Employers should take legal advice in each area before working with individuals to discuss, and if possible, agree the approach they wish to adopt. 

In this webinar we will look at some of the interesting and significant court judgments to have been released over the last year, discussing both practical learning points as well as the impact the Sentencing Guidelines are having on the level of penalty to be imposed on companies found guilty of breaching health and safety legislation.

These webinars will be of interest to health and safety professionals in both the public and private sectors, including:-