'Corporate manslaughter' is a phrase that we hear all too often in the health and safety industry. It feels like we see a new report about fatal negligence every week, and if you've been reading these stories as regularly as we have, you're no doubt wondering exactly what 'corporate manslaughter' is.
In a nutshell, 'corporate manslaughter' is a crime of which companies and organisations may be convicted if they are found to have caused (or failed to prevent) the death of a worker. If your company fails to follow health and safety regulations, and this negligence leads to the death of one of your colleagues, then your company may well be charged with corporate manslaughter.
One recent example (reported earlier this week on the HSE website) is the case of Jason Pennington, a 42-year-old construction worker from Lancashire who died after falling through a skylight onto a concrete floor. His employer, Peter Mawson, has been sentenced to eight months in prison, 200 hours of unpaid work, and two years' suspension. He must also pay costs of £31,504.77, and he is legally obliged to advertise the accident on his company's website for a set period of time, as well as taking out a half-page spread in the local newspaper. Furthermore, Mawson's company (Peter Mawson Ltd) has itself been fined a total of £220,200.
Corporate manslaughter has been part of UK law since 2008, and the above story demonstrates just how serious the penalties can be. Of course, as we've pointed out before, the risk of death alone should be incentive enough for business owners - if you don't put up the right safety signs and make sure everyone is working safely, you are putting human lives at risk. Don't let your company's name be sullied by corporate manslaughter charges!
