Businesses "need wake up call"
February 1st 2008 Thousands of British
companies remain ignorant of
the Corporate Manslaughter
Act, which comes into force
on 6 April according to new
research from the British
Safety Council.
London and the South East
are said to have the lowest
awareness of all the regions.
A third of the capital's
companies claim to be
unaware of the Act and less
than half (44%) are prepared
for it. In the South East, 53%
claim not to fully understand
its implications and just 20%
of companies are fully
prepared for it - compared
with 59% in the South West
and West Midlands.
It also seems that the smaller
the company the greater the
confusion. Just one third of
companies with five or less
employees understand the
implications of the Act on
their business, compared with
over half of all companies
with 50+ employees.
Under the new Act, it is
the organisation which will
be prosecuted for a gross
failure in the management of
health and safety that causes
death. The legislation
rectifies a key defect in the
present law where
organisations can only be
convicted of manslaughter if
a single individual at the very
top of the company is
personally guilty – and
ensures proper accountability
for serious management
failings. Unlimited fines
coupled with a publicity
order, requiring an
organisation to publicise the
fact of its conviction and
certain details of the offence
in a way specified by the
courts, should set alarm bells
ringing, making companies
sit up and take note. More articles from British Safety Council: | 
