Gordon Menzies

In 2010 Gordon represented one of the track workers at the Inquest following the Potters Bar rail disaster and since then has undertaken significant amounts of health and safety work, in particular in the construction and manufacturing, transport and energy sectors.

Construction and manufacturing work includes fatalities associated with major infrastructure projects, for example demolition of oil rigs. Work in this area has also involved cases involving death following exposure to chemicals and building collapse. Transport work extends to rail and aviation, including a trial relating to criminal liability associated with child trespassers in a railway yard and an Inquest arising from a death consequent upon exposure to helicopter downwash. There is a special emphasis on cases involving death or serious injury as a result of working with electricity, including Inquests concerning fatalities caused by proximity to overhead power equipment.

His health and safety work extends to food safety and he was involved in one of the leading cases on gross negligence manslaughter, R v Rebelo No2 (marketing dangerous slimming pills containing DNP) and is currently involved in a manslaughter case arising from the death of a young woman where it is alleged that she suffered a fatal allergic reaction upon eating food at a takeaway restaurant.

As well as criminal cases and Inquests, he does a substantial amount of work relating to appeals from Improvement and Prohibition Notices covering areas such as rail safety and traffic management. He currently has a Personal Track Safety qualification.