Dallas McMillan's Glasgow Lawyers' Blog

UK insurers have attacked the UK Government over their changes to the Discount Rate, a move that will cost the industry millions of pounds, and will see price increases in premiums for individual and business customers. This is the first time the rate has changed since 2001, and has been calculated based on the decline in strength of low risk investment schemes such as Investment-Linked Gilks.

A Scottish construction company has appeared in Dundee Sheriff Court on health and safety charges after a worker was injured in a trench collapse.

The most recent road casualty figures from the Department for Transport have revealed a rise in the number of people killed or seriously injured, which has prompted road safety charity Brake to call for more preventative action by Government.

The latest figures available from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show that in 2014/15, 76,054 non-fatal injuries to employees were reported, and tragically a further 142 workers were killed during the course of their work.

The owner of a care home in Leicester has appeared in court after a vulnerable 85-year-old resident died from serious burns.

The Health and Safety Executive is marking its 40th anniversary with an appeal for Scottish businesses and self-employed workers to make wellbeing and safety their top priority for the new financial year.

New research has revealed that ‘Accident Anxiety’ is prevalent on Britain’s roads, with 79% of drivers describing themselves as worried about driving – hardly surprising with 29 million feeling a crash is just around the corner.

A Leicestershire building firm has been fined after an employee fell five metres and was then struck by a wooden board and concrete blocks after a partially-built floor gave way.

The Supreme Court has held that a Catholic teaching institute is vicariously liable for alleged acts of sexual and physical abuse of children by its members between 1952 and 1992 at St Williams, a residential institution at Market Weighton for boys in need of care.

Doctors in the UK are to become the first in the world to have regular assessments to ensure that their training and expertise are up-to-date and that they are fit to carry out their roles, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has announced.

Dozens of construction sites across Scotland have been put under the spotlight as part of an intensive inspection regime by the Health and Safety Executive.

The Scottish Government has launched a consultation on plans to reform the system of NHS compensation claims by introducing a no-fault compensation scheme in Scotland.

The change would mean patients who have suffered loss, injury or damage as a result of healthcare treatment could be compensated without having to resort to court action.

The proposed new system would still require proof that harm was caused by treatment but would remove the need to prove negligence.

Minister for Public Health Michael Matheson said:

"We know that the vast majority of the care delivered in our NHS is of the highest quality, but it is important that people who have suffered as a result of clinical mistakes should have some form of redress.

"It's in no-one's best interests to have that redress delayed because a compensation claim can take years to go through the courts and nor is it in anyone's interests to have precious NHS resources spent on expensive legal fees.

“That is why we are considering the introduction of a no-fault compensation system. It is important that we seek wider views in order to help in our understanding of what the practical implications would be and to ensure that those affected receive appropriate redress without the need to go through a lengthy court process.”

No-fault systems are already in place in countries such as Sweden, New Zealand, Finland, Denmark and Norway, and parts of the United States.

Businesses are being told to do more to protect workers and members of the public from exposure to legionella.

Recently published figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have shown that 173 workers were killed from April 2011 to March 2012 – a drop of two from the previous year. The rate of fatal injury remains the same at 0.6 per 100,000 workers.

The figures also show the rate of fatal injuries in several of the key industrial sectors:

A review into the PiP breast implant scandal has found that, although the regulator acted appropriately and followed scientific and clinical advice, there is room for improvement and serious lessons must be learned.