Posted April 08

On April 6th 2008 the Corporate Manslaughter & Corporate Homicide Bill 2007 will come into effect across the UK, yet research suggests that many businesses are unprepared for this new legislation. Under the new bill, senior management staff will be asked to provide evidence that the duty of care owed to their employees is met through the implementation of an effective health and safety policy that is clearly communicated and competently implemented.  It signifies one of the biggest changes to health and safety law since 1974. It applies to many businesses both in the public and private sector in England, Wales and Scotland. (In Scotland, the offence will be called corporate homicide.) The Act sets out a new offence for convicting an organisation where a gross failure in the way activities were managed or organised resulted in a person's death.
For more information on the new law, visit www.hse.gov.uk/corpmanslaughter