Published by the Home Office, this annual report covers key developments across the UK in Modern Slavery in the period October 2020 to the end of September 2022.
The report includes an assessment of modern slavery in the UK and the UK’s existing and future response to modern slavery.

Chapter 1 summarises the strategic response to modern slavery in the UK and current modern slavery trends. A review of the 2014 Modern Slavery Strategy for England and Wales is underway to develop a revised strategy, whilst a new strategy was published in Northern Ireland in May 2021.

According to the report, 2020 was the first time that a year-on-year increase in the number of potential victims referred to the NRM for modern slavery was not seen, thought to be a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions.

In total, 10,613 potential victims were referred to the NRM. 48% of those were adults, a decrease on 2020, and 47% were children, an increase on last year. As in 2019, the most common nationality of potential victims in 2020 was UK nationals, accounting for 34% (3,560) of all referrals. The most common forms of exploitation reported were labour exploitation for adults and criminal exploitation for minors.

Chapter 2 summarises the UK’s response to modern slavery under five key areas of work:
1. Law enforcement and operational response.
2. Prevention.
3. Transparency in Supply Chains.
4. Victim Support and Identification.
5. International engagement and upstream prevention.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2021-uk-annual-report-on-modern-slavery

Home Office November 2021

This advice comes from the Traffic Commissioners for Great Britain. The number of bridge strike incidents in the UK remains alarmingly high, it says. In 2020/21 there were 1624 incidences on the Network Rail infrastructure alone. There are many more incidences of commercial vehicles using inappropriate routes, including not complying with weight limits, which results in damage to roads, congestion and risks the safety of other road users.

In addition to the potentially catastrophic road safety issues, there are serious financial implications to these incidences. The impact on drivers and operators can also be significant. Following a bridge strike in St. Helens, the traffic commissioner held a public inquiry and concluded that the primary cause of the incident was the driver’s failure to carry out his responsibilities in a professional manner. His HGV driver’s licence was revoked, and he was disqualified from holding an HGV licence for six months.

However, the traffic commissioner also found that the operator could have done more to prevent the incident and the operator found their licence permanently curtailed.
One of the reasons for these incidences occurring is poor route planning and the reliance on inappropriate satnav systems, which lack commercial functionality to warn the driver of all the critical points on routes. Whilst satnav technology can be employed effectively and efficiently, the devices used must be fit for a commercial role. Good satnav devices will regularly be updated with up-to-date information on the road network, including height restrictions.

Having suitable satnav equipment is not a substitute for effective route planning, but it may assist the driver to avoid some of these incidences, especially when routes change during a journey.
The traffic commissioners expect operators and drivers to treat this issue seriously and take responsibility. Any failure to do so could lead to an operator or driver having to appear before a traffic commissioner.

To minimise the risk of poor road choices, the advice is to always:

• Make sure your satnav is a commercial vehicle satnav, not one designed for a car. Planning a route on a device that thinks you are driving a car has too many risks. Make sure your device is up to date. Roads and maps are constantly changing. It is your responsibility to plan correctly.
• Make sure that if satnavs are provided to drivers, they are trained to use them and, importantly, the correct checks and procedures are in place to ensure they do! They must know how to set the alarm if they run close to an obstacle.
• Have a satnav policy within your operation. Set rules for use of personal satnavs and ensure they are fit for purpose.
• Don’t assume you know the restrictions on a road, check first.
• Double check on an up-to-date map. You could use Google Street Views to get a sight of an unfamiliar route or junction, including delivery or pick up points. Operators should establish whether there are any localised issues that impact on routes and include this in customer information notes for drivers.
• Know your vehicle height, width and weight, and ensure your drivers do – provide height conversion charts.
• Even when your vehicle is ‘not in service’ your route must still be planned. Taking unsuitable shortcuts back to the depot or when going for maintenance is a risk.

Traffic Commissioners for Great Britain November 2021

The government is strengthening existing laws making it illegal to use a hand-held mobile phone while driving under virtually any circumstance. The move follows a follows public consultation which found that 81% of people supported the proposals.

It is already illegal to text or make a phone call (other than in an emergency) using a hand-held device while driving. Next year, laws will go further to ban drivers from using their phones to take photos or videos, scroll through playlists or play games.

This will mean anyone caught using their hand-held device while driving will face a £200 fixed penalty notice and 6 points on their licence.
Drivers will still be able to continue using a device ‘hands-free’ while driving, such as a sat-nav, if it’s secured in a cradle. They must, however, always take responsibility for their driving and can be charged with an offence if the police find them not to be in proper control of their vehicle.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “Too many deaths and injuries occur while mobile phones are being held.
“By making it easier to prosecute people illegally using their phone at the wheel, we are ensuring the law is brought into the 21st century while further protecting all road users.
“While our roads remain among the safest in the world, we will continue working tirelessly to make them safer, including through our award-winning THINK! campaign, which challenges social norms among high-risk drivers.”

Following the public consultation, the government will revise The Highway Code to explain the new measures. It will also be more precise about the fact that being stationary in traffic counts as driving, making it clear that hand-held mobile phone use at traffic lights or in motorway jams is illegal except in very limited circumstances.

There will be an exemption to the new law for drivers making a contactless payment using their mobile phone while stationary to ensure the law keeps pace with technology.
This exemption will cover, for example, places like a drive-through restaurant or a road toll and will only apply when payment is being made with a card reader. It will not allow motorists to make general online payments while driving.

Department for Transport November 2021

The owner of a business based in Odiham, Hampshire has been sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for 18 months, after a fatal accident.
Colin Malam and his company Lubrication Management Services (LMS) Ltd pleaded guilty to health and safety at work offences following a prosecution brought by Hart District Council. The case followed the tragic death of delivery driver Michael Paull in 2018.

Michael Paull fell from the flatbed of an HGV which had not been risk-assessed. He died from his injuries 10 days later. Hart District Council Environmental Health Officers investigated the accident and advised LMS that systems were inadequate, and Improvement Notices were served in July 2018. However, the company continued to operate an unsafe system of work and legal proceedings commenced in 2019.

LMS and Mr Malam pleaded guilty to failing to ensure that employees were not exposed to risks to their health and safety whilst working from height on HGVs. In addition to the custodial sentence, LMS was fined £48,000 and costs of £110,000 were awarded to the Council.

Councillor Sara Kinnell, Cabinet member for Environmental Health, said: “This was a very sad and difficult case and my thoughts go to Mr Paull’s family.
“The standards of health and safety at Lubrication Management Services Limited fell far below the standard expected for a business of this nature. This ultimately led to Mr Paull’s untimely death. Michael Paull was a highly regarded member of the Odiham community who took great pride in his service to the community as a retained firefighter for over 40 years.
“We hope that the resolution of this case will give the family the much-needed closure to move forward with their lives. We would like to thank our partners in the Health and Safety Executive, Hampshire Constabulary and South-Central Ambulance Service for their assistance with this case.”

The coroner’s inquest will follow on from the court proceedings with a date to be confirmed.

Hart District Council October 2021

Barbour 2021