Health and Safety Lawyers Association
Annual Conference 2024
Delegates and Presentations
Table of Contents
Delegates
Victoria Anderson – Brodies
Steven Aitken – RPC
Michael Appleby – FSW Law
Simon Antrobus KC – Crown Office Chambers
Christopher Adams (committee) – Henderson Chambers
Madeleine Abas (Honorary Guest Member) – Osborn Abas Hunt
Rick Brunt (speaker) – HSE
Ashley Borthwick – Womble Bond Dickinson
Alice Babington – Osborne Clarke
Marie-Elizabeth – Bailey Burges Salmon
Simon Belfield (committee) – DWF Law
Tom Boulton – Weightmans
Clare Bone – Brodies
Jonathon Backhouse – Backhouses
Guy Bastable Burges Salmon
Jonathan Bambro – HSE
Rick Brunt (speaker) – HSE
Jon Cooper – Womble Bond Dickinson
Louise Chapman – Osborne Clarke
Kamal Chauhan – Knights
Micahel Coley – Gough Square Chambers
Jason Cropper – TLT Law
Alfie Cranmer – Kingsley Napsley
Leanne Conisbee – HCR Law
Lauren Crockett – DWF Law
Columba Cordingley – DWF Law
Valerie Charbilt (speaker) – Red Lion Chambers
Anne Davies – Fisher Broyles
John Davies – Rradar
Meredith Daniel – Crown Office Chambers
Susan Dearden – Finch Consulting
Mamata Dutta – RPC
Grace Davies – Kennedys
Mark Davies – Backhouses
Barrington Desouza – London Fire Commissioner
Nina Dhillon (committee) – Keoghs
Mark Davies – 6 Pump Court
Kevin Elliott – Womble Bond Dickinson
Hannah Eales – Kingsley Napsley
Jo Forbes – Osborne Clarke
Aimie Farmer – CMS
Craig Ferguson – 2 Hare Court
Tom Gent – Deans Court Chambers
Matthew Gowen – Birketts
Julie Gowland – Birketts
Suzanne Gallagher – BCL LLP
Tim Green – Henderson Chambers
Fiona Gill – DAC Beachcroft
Nick Gianferrari – Keoghs
Steffan Groch – DWF Law
Kirsty Hughes – Shoosmiths
Michael Hayton KC – Deans Court Chambers
Catherine Henney – Eversheds Sutherland
Charlie Henning – Osborne Clarke
Joanne Halford – Knights
Marissa Hornabrook – Burges Salmon
Lee Hughes – Lincoln House Chambers
Jason Housden – Henderson Chambers
Sally Hancock – Kennedys
Charlotte Healy – Charles Russell Speechlys
Lauren Hipwell – CMS
Megan Hancock – CMS
Fiona Hahlo – RPC
Diana Hardesty – DAC Beachcroft
James Harrison – 6 Pump Court
Ashleigh Harold – Excello Law
Natalie Barton – Howes Gowling WLG
Victoria Hinchliffe – Environment Agency
Tim Hill (committee) – Eversheds Sutherland
Lucy Hooper – Womble Bond Dickinson
Stephen Johnstone – Shoosmiths
Christina Josephides – BCL LLP
Emily Jones – Birketts
Monica Kanwar (speaker) – USHA
Peter Kelley – Deans Court Chambers
Julia Kendrick – Crown Office Chambers
Elliott Kenton – Weightmans
Adam Kendall – Bevan Brittan
Crispin Kenyon (Honorary Guest member) – Weightmans
Matt Kyle – Osborne Clarke
Mary Lawrence – Osborne Clarke
Rachel Lyne – Browne Jacobson
Amy Lewis – Osborne Clarke
Lisa Lewins – Womble Bond Dickinson
Andrew Litchfield – Gowling WLG
Jo Lewis – Beale & Co
Tom McNeill – BCL LLP
Danny McShee – Kennedys
Katherine Metcalfe (committee) – Pinsent Masons
Rosalind Morgan – CMS
Colin Moore – DAC Beachcroft
James Muller – Weightmans
Charlotte McClelland – Kennedys
Sally Milner – Kennedys
Louise Mansfield – Bevan Brittan
Samantha Minchin – Bevan Brittan
Lyne Moss – Burness Paull
Eilidh McSherry – Burness Paull
Gordon Menzies (committee) – 6 Pump Court
Professor Tim Marsh (speaker) – Anker and Marsh
Zoe McNeil – Knights
Saba Naqshbandi KC (committee) 3 – Raymond Buildings
Anna Naylor – Weightmans
Phil Newton (committee) – Pinsent Masons
Charlotte O’Kane – Pinsent Masons
Florence Paul – Birketts
Olivia Pointon – Burges Salmon
Nadine Peck – CMS
Stephanie Power – Kennedys
Alexandra Phillips – Bevan Brittan
Satveer Pnaiser (committee) – Kennedys
Priscilla Addo Quaye – Addleshaw Goddard
Richard Reichmann – BCL LLP
Toby Roche – DAC Beachcroft
Francesca Reason – Birketts
Paul Rogers – Outer Temple
Lukas Rootman – CMS
Eleanor Reeves – Ashurst
Gavin Reese – RPC
Toby Roche – DAC Beachcroft
Daniel Richardson – HSE
Yiana Ridleyfaux – London Fire Commissioner
Duncan Reed – TLT Law
Hayley Saunders – Shoosmiths
Dr Louise Smail – FSW Law
Peter Smith – Deans Court Chambers
Iain Smirkin – KC Deans Court Chambers
Rosalind Emsley-Smith – Deans Court Chambers
Neena Sharma – DWF Law
Matt Sulley – Pinsent Masons
Helen Simm – Browne Jacobson
Tom Stevenson – Keoghs
Esme Saynor – CMS
Lauren Shirley – National Highways
Adam Smith – Hempsons
Sunyana Sharma – 3 Paper Buildings
Austin Stoton (committee) – 2 Bedford Row
Amy Sadro – Shell
Barry Smith KC (speaker) – Compass Chambers
Karl Simmons (speaker) – FYLD
His Honour Judge Thomas Teague K.C., Chief Coroner (speaker) – Judiciary
Elizabeth Thornhill – ORR
Toni Taylor – ORR
Matthew Taylor – THBLegal
Marta Tomlinson – Kennedys
Susanne Tanner KC – Advocates
Ian Thomas – Gough Square Chambers
Helen Taylor – Rradar
Julia Thomas – Eversheds Sutherland
Dewi Ap-Thomas – Weightmans
Rebecca Underwood – Eversheds Sutherland
Luise Vassie – HSLA
Heather Vyse – DAC Beachcroft
Aisling Wall – Gowling WLG
James Withers – St Phillips Chambers
Chloe Ward – HSE
Tim Williamson – Footanstey
Charlotte Wood – Eversheds Sutherland
Lucy Wright – Crown Office Chambers
Stephen Walsh KC – 3 Raymond Buildings
David Walton – Pannone Corporate
Charlotte Whittaker Burges Salmon
– Charlotte Waters FSW Law
Claire Watson – Eversheds Sutherland
Laura White – Pinsent Masons
Andrew Westbrook – Womble Bond Dickinson
Claire Woordland – Deans Court Chambers
Mark Watson KC – 6 Pump Court
Presentations
1.00 -1.30 pm
Registration
Please join us for refreshments over the registration period.
1.30 -1.40 pm
Welcome and Opening from HSLA Chair
Amy Sadro, HSLA Chair
1.40 -2.30 pm
The future of enforcement around mental health and wellbeing
HSE statistics on work-related stress, mental health and wellbeing reveal that they vastly exceed the number of physical injuries. However, there has been very little, if no, enforcement in this area, so what might this look like in the future and how should we be advising our clients now so that they are meeting regulatory expectations or are at least well on the way to doing so.
Join our panel of expert speakers to discuss these issues and for a Q & A session.
Panel chair: Saba Naqshbandi K.C., 3 Raymond Buildings
Recommended in the legal directories for many years across all her specialisms, Saba is an expert in public inquiries and inquests, health and safety, fire safety, environmental and commercial crime. Saba has appeared in some of the most important cases in her field. She is an Assistant Coroner in Inner North London and a Health & Safety and Environmental Law ‘A’ Panel advocate.
Speakers
Rick Brunt, Engagement and Policy Lead, Health and Safety Executive
Rick joined HSE in 1989 and has worked across a range of industry sectors as an inspector and in senior operational roles. Throughout his HSE career he has also held a number of leadership roles including in Business Services, HR Learning and Development, Operational Policy and Strategy. Most recently he played a key role in working across government as part of HSE’s response to the Covid Pandemic and has since led the development of HSE’s new strategy, Protecting People and Places.
Professor Tim Marsh, Anker and Marsh
Professor Tim Marsh PhD, MSc, CFIOSH, CPsychol, SFIIRSM is Managing Director of Anker and Marsh and Visiting Professor at Plymouth University. He is considered a world authority on behavioural safety, safety leadership and organisational culture. He has worked with diverse organisations such as the European Space Agency, the BBC, Sky TV, the RNLI and the National Theatre in his 25 year plus consultancy career. He has also written several best-selling books including Affective Safety Management, Talking Safety, Total Safety Culture and the Definitive Guide to Behavioural Safety and Organised Wellbeing.
Monica Kanwar, Director of Health and Safety at the University of York
Monica is the Director of Health and Safety at University of York. As an experienced senior manager in Occupational Health and Safety in the Higher Education Sector, Monica has huge experience in leading and influencing the decision makers to understand that safety is no different to good management, as well as appreciating the wider remit and impact of health and wellbeing and the importance of a strong safety culture in an organisation. She chaired the USHA (University Safety and Health Association) Leading and Managing Safety in Higher Education Institutes.
2.30-3.15pm
The Coroners Service: 10 years post-reform
We are absolutely delighted that the Chief Coroner is able to join us to share his views on the changes in the Coroners Service as well as emerging issues in Inquests.
His Honour Judge Thomas Teague K.C., Chief Coroner
3.15-3.45pm
Refreshment Break
3.45-4.30 pm
Karl Simons discusses the future of technology and artificial intelligence in health and safety
Join Karl to hear how Artificial Intelligence could impact the health and safety world and what is considered “reasonably practicable” in the future.
Karl Simons OBE, Chief Futurist, FYLD
Karl is the Chief Futurist at FYLD, which is an award-winning digital platform that automatically transforms video and audio footage into real-time workflows, video risk assessments and analytics dashboards. By harnessing the power of machine learning, it eliminates paperwork, saves time and creates safer sites. Before his current role, he gained over 30 years of experience in numerous safety-critical industries including oil, gas, minerals, rail, roads, construction and utilities. In 2020 he was awarded an OBE for Services to Mental Health Policy.
4.30-5.20 pm
Case law and sentencing update
Join three health and safety expert practitioners for a review of recent cases that have been in the Courts and their reflections on what we can learn from them to shape our approach to cases.
Barry Smith K.C., Compass Chambers
Barry is a recognised specialist in Regulatory and Health & Safety work, and in Fatal Accident Inquiries, notably those arising from investigations by the AAIB and MAIB. His principal specialism is in the defence of health and safety charges and he has been instructed in many of the significant cases in Scotland in the past decade including Scottish Power Generation Ltd (in the Court of Appeal on sentencing guidelines) and Chevron North Sea Ltd (in the UK Supreme Court on the scope of Enforcement Notice Appeals).
Valerie Charbit, Red Lion Chambers
Valerie has extensive experience in health and safety cases, both prosecuting and defending. She is often instructed to prosecute by the Health and Safety Executive and local authorities in respect of fatalities and other breaches of health and safety legislation. She is currently instructed in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry for a core participant.
Lucy Wright, Crown Office Chambers
Lucy specialises in criminal regulatory law with a focus on health and safety, inquests and inquiries. Recent instructions have included proceedings alleging corporate and gross negligence manslaughter and health and safety offences involving death or serious injury.
5.20-5.30 pm
Conference Close
Closing Remarks
Amy Sadro
HSLA Chair
17:45 – 18.30 AGM
18:45 – 19:30 Drinks reception
19:30 – 23:00 Dinner
