Scotland: Specialist Health and Safety Division

United Kingdom

In the previous edition of our Health and Safety Newsletter, we reported that the new Health and Safety Division of the Crown Office in Scotland was to operate effective from January 2009.

The specialist division is to be dedicated to the investigation and prosecution of those cases which are reported to the Procurator Fiscal by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The new division will consist of three teams: Scotland North (working with HSE staff in Aberdeen); Scotland East (working with the HSE staff in Edinburgh); and Scotland West (working with HSE staff in Glasgow). The teams will work in close consultation with dedicated, senior Crown Counsel.

The aim is that the new division will result in a greater concentration of expertise and increased specialist input at the initial stages and throughout an investigation. Although due to operate effective from January, it remains to be seen how the new Division will operate in practice.