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7 March 2005 - Families of Victims Plea as
Corporate Killing Bill has Second Reading
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Families of victims who were either injured or killed as a
result of workplace health and safety incidents wrote to Jane Kennedy, Minister
of State and all MP's prior to last Fridays' second reading, which took place in
the House of Commons, on the proposed Health and Safety (Directors' Duties)
Bill.
All the families, bar one, who is now permanently disabled, have
had a bereavement, due to accidents within the workplace. Many of
these families had involvement with prosecutions for their tragic losses, but no
director was held responsible, nor convicted of corporate killing.
The long overdue Health and Safety (Directors' Duties) Bill
would provide assurance that company directors would be required to take
reasonable steps for ensuring their company is in compliance with health and
safety law. Large companies would be required to appoint a health
and safety information director to provide health and safety best practice
throughout the company.
The present system of fines against companies where lives are
lost through serious health and safety breaches is, according to campaigners
such as trade unions T&G and UCATT, failing workers and their families.
Only 6 prosecutions for corporate manslaughter have been successful over the
past 10 years, none of which were against large companies.
An extract from the families across England's letter to Jane
Kennedy is as follows:
"We sincerely believe that this would be a just, progressive
measure as it would require directors to take a proactive interest in safety
matters. For many of us, if preventative safety action had been taken in the
first instance in the workplace our loved ones' lives would not have been lost
or blighted by injury.
"We have found it impossible to see justice done for our
loved ones because the absence of legally binding health and safety duties makes
prosecutions and convictions of directors for health and safety breaches rare at
best and, at worst, impossible. We do not understand why it would be easier for
our loved ones to obtain justice had they been killed or injured in the street."
Mr. Stephen Hepburn MP for Jarrow and promoting the Bill
commented:
"This issue touches every constituency. The safety of workers
and the British public should be a top priority for every company and every
director. Legislation to hold directors to account is long overdue and I urge
all my parliamentary colleagues to lend this Bill their support."
Mr. Tony Woodley T&G General Secretary said:
"MPs have a real opportunity to deliver justice for workers
who have been killed or injured at work. Their families are right to ask why no
one is being held to account for their loss. Labour gave its support to
directors' duties eight years ago. Workers and their families should not have to
wait a day longer for the law to be reformed."
Article by Alexandra Johnston
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