Recommendation 21

The incident was formally reported to the Health and Safety Executive on 10 February 2022, with relevant trade unions informed on 15 February. The Clerk of the House of Commons acknowledged that the staff affected should have been contacted with greater urgency. The Clerk attributed the delay to disputes between the House administration team and its contractor and subcontractor, for example on whether the incident crossed the threshold at which notification is required, and over who had a duty to report the incident.52 The Health and Safety Executive are investigating the incident. The Clerks committed to respond to the inquiry’s recommendations.53