Protestors: fines are not enough for corporate manslaughter

The relatives of people killed at work in Scotland have demanded that Scottish MPs bring in tougher penalties, including prison, for negligent directors.

According to the campaigners, who were members of Families Against Corporate Killers (FACK), existing health and safety legislation is not strong enough to force employers to face the consequences of their actions.

Louise Adamson, an employment lawyer whose brother Michael was electrocuted in August 2005, called for employers to be jailed if they broke the law. She said the current threat of a fine was not a deterrent and she said that even the new laws on corporate manslaughter did not give powers to imprison individuals:

"At the moment the fines are an insult. The fine for the Stockline factory explosion – £400,000 for how many lives? It just doesn't add up.

"So we are looking for tougher sentences that will make people sit up and take notice of health and safety issues, not just pay lip service to them, that they do the risk assessments but don't put them into practice.

"It's not a piece of paper that will save a life at the end of the day, it's what the individuals do with what is written on that piece of paper."

A Scottish Government spokesman said that if the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 was found to be wanting, the Government would consider further steps.

To help employers and managers get to grips with the new legislation, Workplace Law has published Guide to Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007, which looks at previous case law and explains the new legislation, and what it means for employers. Written in Workplace Law’s jargon-free, plain-English style, it dispels the myths surrounding this long-awaited Act, and provides indispensable advice for all those responsible for the health and safety of their workforce.

To purchase the guide, click here » or call 0871 777 8881.