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31 August 2006 - Opinions Vary on Corporate
Manslaughter Bill
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The introduction of the Scottish Corporate Manslaughter Bill to Parliament in
Westminster, has once again brought many opinions as to the way in which
negligent companies, who have caused deaths through bad health and safety
practices, should be treated in the law courts.
The Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) have voiced their opinion, claiming
that "while the bill may make it easier to prosecute companies over deaths,
individual directors will still be able to escape personal liability."
Mr. Ian Tasker, STUC Assistant Secretary (Health & Safety) pointed out that
the STUC would continue it's support of the private members' bill, as his
opinion was that it would ensure all involuntary deaths in Scotland would be
prosecuted fairly, regardless of who may have committed the crime.
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) welcomed the bill's introduction to
parliament. They stated the TUC would study the detail of the Bill and
would hope legislation would make prosecutions of negligent companies who cause
deaths easier to bring to court.
However, Mr. John Cridland, Deputy Director-General of the CBI employers’
body, was in support of the Government’s focus on collective responsibility and
company liability and thought that if Scotland had it's own legislation on
Corporate Manslaughter, then this would "undermine consistency".
A national campaign group, Families Against Corporate Killers (FACK),
launched in July this year and set up by families who have lost their loved ones
in the workplace, have expressed disappointment at the contents within the Bill.
FACK say company bosses require the "threat of imprisonment", in order to deter
them from bad health and safety practices. They want imprisonment for
gross negligence to be included in the Bill, which it does not have, as it
stands, at the moment.
The Corporate Manslaughter Bill continues to cause controversy and remains
inconclusive. In the meantime, people are still being killed in their
workplaces through lack of good health and safety practices.
Although the 2005/2006 fatal injuries report, published by the Health and
Safety Commission (HSC) recently, showed a 5% reduction in fatalities in the
workplace, the horrifying figure of 212 people lost lives in the workplace
requires the much needed corporate manslaughter bill to be concluded forthwith,
before even one more death occurs.
Do you have an opinion? Do you have a solution? Should the UK
have one Bill only? Whatever your thoughts on this very controversial
Bill, we at HSfB would be pleased to hear them.
We can be contacted by e-mail on
contact@healthandsafetytips.co.uk or by Private Message through our Forums.
The Corporate Manslaughter Bill can be accessed by clicking the following:
Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Bill
Further information on Fack can be accessed by clicking the following:
FACK - Families against corporate killers
The statistics for fatal injuries report 2005/2006 can be accessed from the
HSE Website by clicking the following:
HSE and HSC news » Statistics of fatal injuries report 2005/2006
Article by Alexandra Johnston
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