ENSURING THAT YOU ARE PROTECTED AGAINST
POTENTIAL HEALTH AND SAFETY LITIGATION IS
A NECESSARY PART OF MANAGING YOUR
BUSINESS. BUT NOW THE LAW CARRIES EVEN
GREATER SIGNIFICANCE FOLLOWING THE
CHANGES TO CORPORATE MANSLAUGHTER.
Under the new law companies, organisations The act does not apply to individual directors,
and, for the first time, government bodies face a senior managers etc. It is concerned with the
criminal offence and larger fines if they are corporate liability of the organisation itself.
found to have caused death due to their gross However, where there is sufficient evidence,
corporate health and safety failures. individuals can already be prosecuted for gross
negligence manslaughter and for health and
Well-run businesses that already have effective safety offences. The Act does not change this
systems in place for managing health and position.
safety have nothing to fear from the new
legislation. But employees of companies, Crown bodies - such as government depart-
consumers and other individuals will be offered ments - will be liable to prosecution for the
greater protection against the worst cases of first time.
corporate negligence.
Tips to Keep Abreast

The new law will focus the minds of those in
companies and other organisations by ensuring Review your Health & Safety Policies. You can
that they take health and safety obligations get advice from www.hse.gov.uk/business.
seriously.
Seek guidance on the new act through your
The Corporate Manslaughter Act legal adviser and keep staff abreast of your
findings. Review your existing insurance cover:
It will make it easier to prosecute companies consider a Directors’ and Officers’ (D&O)
and other large organisations when gross insurance policy.
failures in the management of health and safety
lead to death by delivering a new, more www.justice.gov.uk/news/newsrelease040408a.htm
effective basis for corporate liability.

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