New laws hold managers liable for death of employees, warns FPB
Posted by Keith Simpson on January 26, 2008, 4:30 pm
New laws hold managers liable for death of employees, warns FPB
WORKSHOPS and garages need to start preparing for April 6 when the Corporate Manslaughter Act becomes law, the Forum of Private Business (FPB) is warning.
The business organisation is advising workshops and garages to review their health and safety procedures in order to better protect employees, customers and contractors in preparation for the new law coming into force.
The rules mean company directors can be held liable if their management practices cause a person’s death or amount to a gross breach of their duty of care.
Workshop owners could also be hit with an unlimited fine and publicity orders to expose a firm’s wrongdoing.
"Businesses should also take out directors’ and officers’ liability insurance cover," recommended the FPB spokesman Philip Moody.
"It is important that small firms act now to protect themselves, their employees, customers and contractors, or face paying the price further down the line,” he added.
Re: New laws hold managers liable for death of employees, warns FPB
As far as I know company directors have always been held responsible if their negligence contributes to the death of an employee. Certainly there was a case recently where a trainee died as a result of petrol burns in a garage. I'm fairly sure the owner of the business got a custodial sentence. However, this government certainly is keen on making new legislation where there is already a perfectly good existing law. Maybe it's just an attempt to close some of the loopholes that giant corporations with their expensive lawyers have been able to exploit. Though I still can't see the likes of Sir Richard Branson doing time if one of his ground staff gets sucked into a jet engine.