Freedom of Information Act. ( FOIA )
Splottboy
Posts: 3,694
What does it cover?
I need info about accidents/incidents on a very large Corporation.
As this is my first few steps, can I use the FOIA to obtain these myself, or via the Legal Dept of my Union???
Not sure what the FOIA covers in regards to Corporate Health and Safety policies/accidents.
Anyone else got personal experience of the Freedom of Information Act ?
Thanks.
I need info about accidents/incidents on a very large Corporation.
As this is my first few steps, can I use the FOIA to obtain these myself, or via the Legal Dept of my Union???
Not sure what the FOIA covers in regards to Corporate Health and Safety policies/accidents.
Anyone else got personal experience of the Freedom of Information Act ?
Thanks.
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Comments
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I don't think it covers what you want at all, to be honest.0
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Splottboy wrote:What does it cover?
I need info about accidents/incidents on a very large Corporation.
As this is my first few steps, can I use the FOIA to obtain these myself, or via the Legal Dept of my Union???
Not sure what the FOIA covers in regards to Corporate Health and Safety policies/accidents.
Anyone else got personal experience of the Freedom of Information Act ?
Thanks.
Don't quote me on this:
If the data held is regarding the incidents etc are in relation to yourself then by law your entitled to see it. There's normally an administration fee (so the secretary can get off the phone swivel her chair and look for the documents). Said company will swear blind that they're not allowed to show you though.0 -
I think you're getting confused with the Data Protection act.
Either that, or I am.0 -
yeehaamcgee wrote:I think you're getting confused with the Data Protection act.
Either that, or I am.
They're very similar.... don't know why they're seperate acts, it's just slightly different clauses on some of the pages...0 -
I thought (I could be well off the mark here) that the FOI was so that governments etc couldn't keep everything secret from the populace, and to promote transparency.
DPA, is in place so that you can see any information held about you on anyone's computer systems, and to prevent data harvesting without your consent.0 -
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 came into force in January 2005 and gives any person legal rights of access to information which is held by a public authority.
http://www.justice.gov.uk/guidance/guidancefoi.htm0 -
Hmm, so I was kind of on the right track then.
I guess the FOI was bought in because authorities claimed to not have any "computerised" records, therefore bypassing the Data Protection act?0 -
yeehaamcgee wrote:Hmm, so I was kind of on the right track then.
I guess the FOI was bought in because authorities claimed to not have any "computerised" records, therefore bypassing the Data Protection act?
I don't know, I think it's more that you can get info that doesn't relate to you, but that might be in the public interest.
Although I've got a friend who works for a national archiving organisation, naming no names, and he spends a lot of time editting what's released to the public, so there still isn't 'proper' transparency. Sometimes it'll be "We can't tell you about XYZ, also, we can't tell you why we can't tell you about XYZ".
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Think I've got some info on the way, thanks.
N.Ireland Police have released some relevant documents on what I'm after - Dog Attacks - and luckily, or unluckily, a Local Ex-councillor has was also bitten by a dog recently.
She may be able to assist.
( Ok, here come the jokes: After a blood transfusion and injection, the dog was sent home! )
Local papers have also quoted FOIA facts/figures on the subject, so there must be a way to access this stuff.
Got some SERIOUS meetings around this currently, as well as my Union being on board.
Watch this space...0 -
Oh I know all about that.
There's sillier ones too, for example anybody who's signed the official secrets act is effectively contracted to not admitting they've signed it, but they're also not allowed to lie or some such. It's very silly, however it works, and basically results in conversations like
"So have YOU signed the official secrets agrement?"
"I'm not allowed to say"
"so... that's a big fat YES then?" 0 -
Santa Cruz Chameleon
Orange Alpine 1600 -
Red Cross?MacAndCheese wrote: 0 -
The freedom of information act and the data protection act are completely different.
(other than the fact that like all legislation are broken down into sections and are completely mind numbingly boring to digest!).
Unless the people you want this accident information from is a public body / authority or in some certain capacities caries out public functions (i.e. some PPP initiatives) you certainly wont be able to get the information you need from the company under the FOIA. Otherwise competitors could just use the FOIA to get trade secrets from each other! :P
(even if it is a public body - there are a number of exceptions which let them get out of releasing certain information under the FOIA.
If it is litigation that you have in mind - then the disclosure stage under the Civil Procedure Rules would cover release of documents like that - which is covered under CPR part 30 and would not be disclosable if they are privileged - Although that's another kettle of fish altogether!
Why do you want this information - if you don't mind saying?0 -
Accident at work has been recorded as an INCIDENT.
There is a Union/Employer agreement that basically states, "If employee is injured on duty, this will be disregarded" etc...
So, crafty twats trying to intimate Incident, NOT Accident. Thereby, this would initiate something like a discipline warning.
( Incident = traumatic experience, but Accident = similar definition, BUT Injury occurs.
Two weeks off in my mind is an Accident.)
GP says Accident, Union Reps says Accident, Union Legal Dept say Accident, I say Accident. Any normal person would say Accident too.
Therefore, gotta get as much "ammunition" as possible, to what could be a long-drawn out legal process, impending and in the future, job threatening.
Not good in the current economic climate.0
