Individual directors and senior managers could still be vulnerable to
prosecution under the latest proposals for the long awaited corporate killing
laws.
The legislation is expected to be announced in the Queen’s Speech in
November and employers are currently being consulted over the impact and cost
of the proposals.
In a recent letter to private sector employers, the Home Office hinted at
the removal of individual liability under corporate killing. However, health
and safety experts believe the legislation will still allow directors to be
prosecuted.
Janet Asherson, head of health and safety at the CBI, said individual
directors and senior managers could still be prosecuted for breaches of health
and safety.
"We’re pleased the idea of corporate killing and the individual have
been separated. The linkage has been broken, but it doesn’t mean that
individuals can’t be found guilty or held responsible," she said.
Owen Tudor, health and safety specialist at the TUC, believes the
anticipated corporate manslaughter legislation will make it lot easier to
prosecute individuals, and the Engineering Employers’ Federation’s head of
health and safety Gary Booton, agreed that individual directors may still be
vulnerable to prosecution under the new legislation.
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