Health and Safety
Ian Whitehurst is a leading junior barrister specialising in regulatory law, corporate crime and health and safety offences. Ranked in The Legal 500 for regulatory law, he is frequently instructed in complex prosecutions and defence work involving serious injury, fatalities, and breaches of health and safety legislation.
He is appointed to the Specialist Regulatory Panel (List A) and is regularly instructed by local authorities, the HSE, and corporate clients. His practice includes gross negligence and corporate manslaughter, director liability, compliance advisory work, and serious workplace incidents. Ian is known for his strategic case management, trial advocacy, and sound judgment in negotiations involving sensitive reputational and financial risk.
Recent Work Highlights
- Prosecuted a multinational corporation for breaches of health and safety legislation. The company was fined £800,000 following a serious accident at work.
- Currently prosecuting two companies for a fatal accident at work. Both have now pleaded guilty and await sentence.
- Prosecuted a company for failing to protect employees seriously injured while working at height on a public building.
- Instructed by a local authority to prosecute a company and director following an accident causing life-changing injuries (finger amputation). Substantial fines imposed.
- Defending a national construction company in proceedings regarding health and safety breaches at an active building site.
- Advising and representing a restaurant chain facing prosecution for gas safety and kitchen management failures.
- Advising on a paralysis-causing incident on a construction site involving alleged lifting equipment failures (ongoing).
Areas of Expertise
- Workplace fatalities and serious injury
- Gross negligence and corporate manslaughter
- Health and safety prosecutions and compliance
- Director liability and corporate governance
- Fire safety, working at height, and construction safety
- Gas safety and restaurant health and hygiene enforcement
- Local authority and HSE enforcement proceedings
- Public and private sector regulatory defence
Health and Safety Cases
Illustrative cases include:
- Representing Company prosecuted with HSE for fire safety offences and offences pursuant to the working at height regulations.
- Representing construction company in relation to breaches of fire safety legislation and working at height regulations on a construction project in Manchester city centre. Small financial penalties imposed.
- Prosecuting company accused of failing to protect employees who were seriously injured whilst working at height on a public building. Case ongoing.
- Instructed to prosecute and advise by a local authority on serious accident in the workplace which led to individual facing life changing injuries (amputation of fingers). Advised on offences, evidence and sentencing powers of court. Large fines imposed against company and director.
- Instructed to represent national construction company in relation to issues surrounding the management of an ongoing construction site and health and safety issues raised by the local council. Proceedings brought, small fine imposed.
- Instructed to represent well established restaurant in relation to health and safety matters concerning the management of their kitchens and gas safety issues. Case ongoing.
- Instructed to advise company and director in health and safety investigation concerning major incident on a construction site resulting in worker being paralysed due to alleged failures in lifting equipment. Case ongoing.
