| NEW
IN |
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| Dec
2004 |
New
Section on Regulation
The CCA has developed a new section of its website
providing information on the Government's and
Health and Safety Commission's policy towards
regulation issues. This encompasses issues of
(a) when should new legislation be enacted and
(b) how any new or existing legislation should
it be enforced
Click Here.
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Press:
CCA raises serious concerns about Hampton Review
The Hampton Review’s interim report on
reducing administrative burdens on business
and its conclusion that regulatory bodies like
the Health and Safety Executive should advise
more and enforce less have been criticised in
the Centre for Corporate Accountability’s
initial response published today.
Click
here (9 DEC 2004)
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Press:
BHOPAL 20 YEARS ON: New Manslaughter Bill unlikely
to bring British companies causing death abroad
to account.
British Companies whose serious negligence causes
deaths abroad will not be brought to account
as a result of the Government's new manslaughter
bill, due to be published this month. The government
is planning to restrict the application of its
new offence of corporate manslaughter so that
it only applies to companies that cause death
in Britain. The CCA has written to the Home
Secretary today - on the
20th anniversary of the Bhopal disaster - urging
him to reconsider the Government's position
on this matter.
Click
here (2 DEC 2004)
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| Nov
2004 |
UPDATE
ON CORPORATE MANSLAUGHTER REFORMS
Information on the Queen's speech (23 Nov 2004),
and what it all means for reform in this area.
Why is reform necessary? When will it happen?
What will be the position of crown bodies? All
your questions answered?
Click
here
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CCA
SEEKS OFFICE MANAGER - 7 month Maternity
Cover
Do you want to manage a cutting-edge organisation
looking in detail at the role of state bodies
in the investigation and prosecution of work-related
deaths and in providing advice to bereaved families?
Because if you do, an exciting opportunity exists
for a person of proven competence and ability.
Closing Date 5pm, Monday, 29 November 2004.
Click
Here for more information
|
| Sept
2004 |
Training:
Accountability following Work-Related death
and injury
The Centre
for corporate Accountability and the Public
Law Project are organising a one-day training
for lawyers, trade unions, advice workers and
others on investigation and prosecution issues
following work-related death and injury and
on how to challenge decisions made by the police,
local authorities, the HSE, and Crown Prosecution
Service.
London,
Thursday 11 November 2004
Click Here
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|
Press:
GOVERNMENT’S SAFETY POLICIES "INCONSISTENT
WITH RESEARCH" NEW REPORT CONCLUDES
Central planks of the Government/Health and
Safety Commission's current health and safety
strategy are "inconsistent with the national
and international published research on the
most effective strategies to improve worker
and public safety”, says a report published
today (15 September 2004) by the Centre for
Corporate Accountability. The report, "Making
Companies Safe: What Works?"raises serious
questions about the Government’s claimed
commitment to pursue policies that are ‘evidence-based’
Click
here (Embargoed: 00.01
am 15th September 2004).
|
| Aug
2004 |
SCOTLAND
CCA'S SECOND SCOTLAND CONFERENCE FOCUSES ON
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF HSE AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES.
CCA's second conference in Scotland - which
brings together Ministers, the HSE, Crown Office,
Lawyers, Trade Unions and Safety activists -
considers how effective are the HSE and Local
Authorities in ensuring that companies in Scotland
comply with health and safety law. It also considers
recent developments in the law of homicide,
proposed new procedures for the investigation
of work-related deaths and the adequacy of Fatal
Accident Inquiries
Click
Here
|
| July
2004 |
Press:
SELECT COMMITTEE CHALLENGES GOVERNMENT TO SIGNIFICANTLY
INCREASE THE RESOURCES TO THE HSE AND INTRODUCE
LEGISLATION ON DIRECTOR DUTIES
The Government should give substantial new resources
to the Health and Safety Commission/Executive
(HSC/E) in order for it to double the number
of inspectors over a six year period, and change
prosecutions procedures, according to a report
published by the parliamentary Work and Pensions
select committee which published its report
today. The Committee stated that the HSE should
be considered a "front-line service"
and protected from the cuts that the Chancellor
announced in his recent spending review.
Click
Here
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| |
BRIEFING
ON CORPORATE HOMICIDE REFORMS IN CANADA AND
AUSTRALIA
The CCA has written a detailed briefing on the
reforms in Canada and Australia in the area
of corporate criminal accountability and in
particular looking at reforms impacting upon
criminal accountability for work-related death
and injury.
Click Here
|
| June
2004 |
Press:
"KEEP THE SAFETY REGULATION OF RAILWAYS
INDEPENDENT", DISASTER FAMILY AND SAFETY
GROUPS TELL THE GOVERNMENT
The regulation of safety should continue to
be the responsibility of the Health and Safety
Executive and not be transferred to the Department
of Transport or any other body, safety groups
have told the Department of Transport in a submission
to its Rail Review which is due to report this
summer. The Submission also questions the Secretary
of State's view that there are too many safety
standards enforced in an overcautious manner.
Click
Here (27 June 2004)
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| |
Press:
HSE'S RESTRICTIVE
POLICY ON PUBLIC SAFETY "UNLAWFUL"
SAYS LEGAL ADVICE
The Health and Safety Executive's
new policy on public safety - which stops HSE
inspectors enforcing public safety duties upon
employers in certain circumstances - is "unlawful"
says a legal opinion obtained by the Centre
for Corporate Accountability. The
legal opinion has been given by two public law
specialists, barrister Michael Fordham - one
of Britain's top barristers in the field - and
John Halford from the solicitors, Bindman and
Partners. It was sought by the Centre for Corporate
Accountability after the HSE refused to investigate
a number of deaths of members of public.
Click
Here (25 June 2004)
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| |
Press:
NON-UK EUROPEAN BUSINESSES ESCAPE HEALTH AND
SAFETY LAW ENFORCEMENT
Non-UK European businesses providing services
in Britain on a non-permanent basis may no longer
have to comply with British health and safety
law if the European Parliament and Council of
Ministers agrees to the text of a new Framework
Directive currently under consultation. The
Health and Safety Executive and Local Authorities
will not be able to inspect, investigate, impose
enforcement notices or lay criminal charges
against the company or individuals for any breaches
of health and safety law, according to the "Directive
on Services in the Internal market".
Click
Here (8 June 2004)
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| |
CCA'S
ADVICE SERVICE : ITS "SERVICE STRATEGY
" AND ASSESSMENT OF THE SERVICE PROVIDED
The CCA has written a detailed service strategy
setting out how its two caseworkers provide
advice and assistance, what sort of advice and
assistance is provided, and how their work is
supervised and reviewed. In 2003, the CCA undertook
an anonymised assessment of its advice work
and this is also being published.
Click Here
|
| MAY
2004 |
Press:
MAJOR POLICY SHIFT MEANS THAT CERTAIN DEATHS
AND INJURIES OF MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC NO LONGER
INVESTIGATED BY THE HSE
Deaths and injuries of members of the public,
which until recently would have been investigated
by the Health and Safety Executive, will no
longer be subject to inquiry, the Centre for
Corporate Accountability has discovered. The
HSE will also no longer inspect hospitals, the
police, local authorities and others to see
whether they are complying with their public
safety duties.
Click
Here (27 May 2004)
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| |
Press:
NINE "APPRENTICE" WORKERS DIED WHILST
RECEIVING GOVERNMENT-FUNDED TRAINING
In the last twenty months, nine apprentice
workers - all under the age of 23 - have been
killed on work placements as part of Government
funded courses, the Centre for Corporate Accountability
can reveal.
Click
Here
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| APR
2004 |
CORPORATE
KILLING CONFERENCE PAPERS
"We are still hoping to publish a draft
bill before the end of the current parliamentary
session," said Home Office Minister
Baroness Scotland in her speech to the CCA conference
on Corporate Killing. Download her and other
speaker's presentations including that of Baroness
Scotland
Click
here
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| |
Press:
"INTERNATIONAL CORPORATE HOMICIDE REFORMS
ECLIPSE BRITISH PROPOSALS" CONFERENCE
HEARS.
New
laws passed by the Canadian parliament in November
2003 will have far wider implications on employing
organisations, company directors and managers
compared to the "Corporate Killing"
reforms so far proposed by the British Home
Office a major conference in London heard today.
Click
Here
|
| Mar
2004 |
CCA
GIVES ORAL AND WRITTEN EVIDENCE ON HSE TO SELECT
COMMITTEE
The
CCA has been asked to give oral evidence to
the Select Committee on Work and Pensions on
Wednesday 24 March at 10.45 am in the Grimond
Room, Portcullis House. It had previously given
written evidence - which is now available.
The
Select Committee is undertaking an inquiry into
the work of the Health and Safety Commission
and Executive.
Click
Here
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|
MAJOR
CCA CONFERENCE ON "CORPORATE KILLING",
29 APRIL 2004
Home Office Minister, Baroness Scotland has
agreed to speak at a major conference in London
on 29 April 2004 on 'Corporate Killing' organised
by the Centre for Corporate Accountability. Speakers
representing trade unions, employers and safety
organisations are speaking along with human rights
lawyers and hazard campaigners.
The Government is due to publish its new proposals
to reform the law of corporate manslaughter. £30
standard registration fee
To find out more and register
Click
Here |
| Feb
2004 |
BRIEFING:
HOW LOCAL COUNCILS CAN BE PROSECUTED FOR MANSLAUGHTER
To read a briefing and CCA's comments on the
decision by the CPS to prosecute Barrow Borough
Council for manslaughter,
Click
Here
|
Press:
ONE OF BRITAIN'S WORST WORK-RELATED 'DISASTERS'
"The deaths of 18 Cockle Pickers in Morecambe
bay is one of
Britain's worst work-related disasters in recent
years. If it is
discovered that these people had been asked
to undertake
this work for a company, business or individual,
a manslaughter investigation needs to be carried
out into whether their deaths were the result
of gross negligence on their part." says
the CCA
Click
Here (6 Feb 2004)
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| Jan
2004
|
HSC
REJECTS LEGAL DUTIES ON DIRECTORS
The Health and Safety Commission has rejected
recommending to Ministers a new legal duty on
directors. This is despite the fact that the
Government has committed itself to legislating
in this area "when parliamentary time allows".
Click
Here
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SCOTLAND'S
JUDGES DEVELOPS LAW OF CORPORATE HOMICIDE
Scotland's
High Court of Justiciary has ruled for the first
time that companies can be prosecuted for the
offence of ‘culpable homicide’. It
has also established a principle of law –
wider than the legal test that exists in England
– that allows companies to be prosecuted
without needing to prosecute a director or senior
manager.
Click
Here
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CCA
SEEKS NEW CASEWORKER
Do you want to work in a cutting-edge organisation
looking in detail at the role of state bodies
in the investigation and prosecution of work-related
deaths and in providing advice to bereaved families?
Are you committed to working in a not-for-profit
organisation working on issues of worker and
public safety? Because if you are, an exciting
opportunity exists for a person of proven competence
and ability, to run the CCA's highly regarded
'Work-Related Death Advice Service'. Closing
Date 5pm, Wednesday, 28 January 2004.
Click
Here for more information
|
