August 22, 2007—United Kingdom companies whose gross negligence leads to the death of individuals will now face prosecution for manslaughter under tough new legislation which was given Royal Assent recently.
Under the new Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act, companies, organizations and, for the first time, government bodies face an unlimited fine if they are found to have caused death due to their gross corporate health and safety failures.
Justice Minister Maria Eagle comments: “The Corporate Manslaughter Bill is a ground-breaking piece of legislation. This is about ensuring justice for victims of corporate failures. For too long it has been virtually impossible to prosecute large companies for management failures leading to deaths.
“The new Act changes this, for the first time companies and organizations can be found guilty of corporate manslaughter on the basis of gross corporate failures in health and safety. The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act will make it easier to prosecute companies who fail to protect people.”
For more information on the law, see the Web site of the Ministry of Justice.
