19th November 2021

Wind farm operator and security company fined a total of £780,800

A wind farm operator and a security company have been fined a total of £870,000 following an incident where a  guard died after being found lying face down and hypothermic, in deep snow, at a remote hillside in Ayrshire. The HSE investigation into the fatality found that when preparing their emergency weather plan the security company had failed to consider situations when nobody from the operating company would be present at the site. The operating company had failed to ensure there was a back-up generator at either of the guard’s locations to provide for heating and lighting should the main generator fail, despite this having occurred on several occasions previously. In addition the security company failed ensure that the deceased or his colleague had a reliable means of calling for help.  https://press.hse.gov.uk/2021/11/17/contractor-and-security-company-fined-after-security-guard-dies-of-hypothermia-at-windfarm

17th November 2021

A 2021 c.30 Environment Act 2021

A 2021 c.30 Environment Act 2021.  The purpose of this Act is to

make provision for the setting of targets, plans and policies for improving the natural environment; set a requirement for statements and reports about environmental protection; institute the Office for Environmental Protection; to improve waste management and resource efficiency Improve air quality; set a requirement for the recall of products that fail to meet environmental standards; improve water quality improve nature conservation and biodiversity increase the regulation of chemicals;

This is an enabling Act which provides powers to make or amend subordinate Regulations. It also makes amendments to a number of existing pies of legislation. The principal amendments are to The Environmental Protection Act 1990 (A 1990 c.43). Other amendments are to the Environment Act 1995 (a 1995 c.25), The Clean Air Act 1993 (A 1993 c.11) and The Waste and Contaminated Land (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 (SI 1997/2778

16th November 2021

The Environment Act 2021 (Commencement No. 1) Regulations 2021

The following provisions of the Act come into force on 17th November 2021—

(a)section 22 (The Office for Environmental Protection); (b)section 23 (Principal objective of the OEP and exercise of its functions); (c)section 24 (The OEP’s strategy: process); (d)section 26 (Memorandum of understanding); (e)section 44 (Meaning of “natural environment”); (f)section 45 (Meaning of “environmental protection”); (g)section 46 (Meaning of “environmental law”); (h)section 47 (Interpretation of Part 1: general); (i)Schedule 1 (The Office for Environmental Protection).

9th November 2021

Leeds waste firm fined £760,000

A Leeds Waste management company was fined £760,000 and ordered to pay costs of £16,170 after workers suffered multiple fractures. A metal grating failed as an employee walked over it. He fell four metres and sustained a double break to the left leg, a break to the right leg and a broken ankle. An agency worker came to assist him, but he also fell through the missing floor panel and sustained a dislocated and fractured shoulder. https://press.hse.gov.uk/2021/10/26/waste-management-company-fined-after-workers-suffered-multiple-fractures