Health and safety regulation is one of our key strengths. DWF is very well respected and our Chambers & Partners ranking reflects this. We work with many FTSE 100 companies across a diverse range of sectors and have provided expert advice following some of the country's most high profile incidents. We are able to assist with private instructions and also with insured companies to protect your business, whilst also managing investigations for insurers and closely collaborating with our insurance colleagues on civil matters, to ensure that efforts are not duplicated and your business interests are protected.

Clients and legal directories place our team as one of the leading firms in this area, and at the forefront of the continually developing area of health and safety defence. The DWF Regulatory, Compliance and Investigations team is recognised as a Band 1 team, with several of our Partners acknowledged as leading individuals. Our team is ranked as Band 1 within Chambers & Partners in their UK-wide listing for health and safety and we rank again at the top across Legal 500 directories.

• Call received shortly after accidental discharge of a large volume of substance.
• DWF helped coordinate the client's early incident response, including the role of environmental consultant in recovery operation, harm mitigation and focussed testing of water bodies. This work enabled the client to isolate and address the potential harm.
• Key support was provided in respect of the classification of the environmental harm and advising upon statutory notification responsibilities in accordance with environmental damage regulations.
• DWF also supported the internal investigation to identify the cause of the accident and appropriate remedial actions. We have provided continued support monitoring and assessing the impact upon the local environment.

• Call received within half an hour of a fatal road traffic collision involving our client's lorry. The driver was still at the scene. 
• DWF established contact with the police at the scene. The driver was being arrested and taken to the police station. 
• DWF initiated its crisis response plan, coordinating initial incident management in respect to both the company and the driver, including attending the police station to represent the driver at interview, operator compliance and public relations. 
• A thorough investigation was undertaken at an early stage, including scene and vehicle examinations, resulting in the vehicle, a valuable asset for the business, being released whilst ensuring that both the driver and company were fully protected. 
• DWF continued to support the driver and company throughout the police investigation, Coroner's Court Inquest and Traffic Commissioner / operator licencing matters.

• A call was received through the CRS phone line
• DWF coordinated the client’s crisis response having been on site within 24 hours of the premature collapse of a building in which 4 employees tragically lost their lives
• DWF mobilised a rapid response team to help with the document review and taking witness statements, as well as providing IT capability, PR and media support and an experienced counselling advice service
• We have continued to work closely with the client, overseeing the internal investigation, managing the reputational risks and responding to the Police investigation
• We have utilised e-discovery software to extract, store, review and process a large number of client documents

• DWF RCI advised a construction contractor following the death of a self-employed contractor on site
• A lengthy HSE investigation followed, along with an investigation carried out by the Construction site Client. DWF's advice took into account the commercial relationship between the parties and also the contractor's contractual and legal duties
• DWF was also able to advise on a whistleblowing allegation made by an aggrieved ex-employee relevant to the investigation, bringing in expertise from DWF's Employment practice
• We advised throughout the inquest and in the appeal of a number of HSE Enforcement Notices which were successfully withdrawn
• The case resulted in no further action by the HSE, which is highly unusual in a case resulting in a fatality

• DWF RCI were instructed on the day of a fatal incident within a college nursery
• A 3 year old girl died on a her full day at nursery having been tragically entangled by rope on a slide
• We mobilised a team of counsellors for the staff involved, independent legal support for nursery staff, media advisors and ancillary technical specialists within days of the incident
• DWF were on site daily managing the investigation for the senior leadership and governing body
• A multi-agency case followed involving the police, OfSTED and the HSE
• This is one of a number of nursery fatalities that the team has worked on, as we have become known for our empathetic but controlled response to such tragic incidents

• Advising a charity client in relation to a Police led investigation into Corporate Manslaughter following the death of a volunteer during work at a charity project
• We have advised from the outset following a lengthy and in-depth investigation of the charity in a technical and complex case, managing the investigation and the client’s responses carefully
• We have worked with public relations consultants to liaise both internally and externally with members of the charity, the press and funders
• DWF RCI’s advice has ranged from corporate defence through to the treatment of charitable funds for the purposes of fines, all whilst continuing to appreciate the nature of the organisation and reinforcing this with investigators

• DWF were instructed to act for a sandwich manufacturing company following an outbreak of listeria which resulted in 6 fatalities. The client and the rest of their supply chain were subject to investigations by the Food Standards Agency, local Environmental Health Officer, Public Health England, and coronial proceedings
• Within a day of being instructed, DWF mobilised a team of solicitors, paralegals and DWF Resource consultants to attend site and carry out witness interviews and document collection over a number of weeks. Early attendance and representation was important due to the fact that the company was required to suspend operations as a result of the investigations and co-operate by providing information
• Following the release of the company's name, there was significant national media interest, which included press turning up at work premises and at the home addresses of registered directors. DWF engaged crisis communications specialists who assisted in responding to media queries, and took the pressure off our client, enabling them to focus on assisting the various investigating bodies