The
Transport and General Workers’ Union says prison sentences for company
directors are the only way to get the safety message across to those at the top
of a company..
The
T&G says prison sentences for company directors are now the only way the
construction industry will sit up and listen to health and safety concerns.
Bob
Blackman, T&G national secretary for construction, said a recent prison
sentence handed down to a director in Stafford should act as a "wake-up
call" to the industry.
"The
health and safety performance in the industry is no longer satisfactory.
Regrettably, therefore, we have come to a situation where prison sentences are
a requirement if there is going to be change," he said.
"Fines
haven’t worked. It is the case that the only way to make directors accountable
is by prison sentences for failures to adopt a safety regime."
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The
T&G has been campaigning for an improved health and safety regime and has
called for the courts to take a tough line. It also wants the Government to
review the law in terms of corporate manslaughter.