ECA Supports corporate manslaughter laws

 
The Electrical Contractors Association (ECA) has declared its support for the government’s plans to reform the law of manslaughter. The new legislation will make companies and their representatives more accountable, with penalties including unlimited fines and life imprisonment.

The Government is also committed to introducing a corporate manslaughter charge, which means that individuals with management responsibility for safety will, for the first time, become criminally liable for causing serious accidents to their employees or members of the public.

The ECA warns that it is essential that companies undertake regular, planned electrical maintenance in order to ensure safety. In the six years from 1990 to 1995, serious electrically related fires caused over £320 million of damage whilst 95 people were killed and 3352 were injured at work in accidents related to electricity. The proposed legislation could have far reaching consequences for those companies and individuals within companies where electricity related accidents occur.
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