| 20 Nov |
CCA welcomes changes in Regulators Compliance Code regarding prosecutions - but continues to question the code's tone and relevance
CCA concerns that the draft Regulators Compliance Code could become a "corporate criminal's charter" have been partly allayed by the Government's agreement to insert a new paragraph into the Code making it explicit that regulators like the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) can prosecute duty holders in a wide set of circumstances.
|
| 30 Oct |
"Bringing Justice to the Boardroom" - the case against voluntary guidance and in favour of a change in the law to impose safety duties on directors
A new report by the Centre for Corporate Accountability sets out how many of the arguments used by the HSE to support the introduction of voluntary guidance for directors on health and safety responsibilities, without first changing the law to impose safety obligations upon them, are misleading. |
| 28 Aug |
“A Charter for Corporate Criminals” - safety charity responds to Cabinet Office's draft Code of Practice for Regulators
The draft Code of Practice for Regulators – which will apply to the Health and Safety Commission and Executive and will have the force of law - needs significant changes to avoid simply being a “Charter for Corporate Criminals,” the Centre for Corporate Accountability has told the Cabinet Office’s Better Regulation Executive. |
| 23 July |
CCA welcomes passing of Corporate Manslaughter bill through the Lords - and hopes for end of immunity for large and medium sized organisations.
The Centre for Corporate Accountability (CCA) welcomes the passing of the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Bill through the Lords today. |
| 18 July |
Government concedes on deaths in custody and paves way for corporate manslaughter bill to become law
The Government has tabled today a new amendment of the Corporate Manslaughter and Homicide Bill allowing the new offence to apply to deaths in prison and police custody. |
| 3 July |
HSE’s refusal to provide information on deceased workers subject to scrutiny by Information Commissioner
The information commissioner is determining whether or not HSE’s refusal to provide the CCA the names of individuals who have died at work is in breach of the Freedom of information Act. |
| 22 Jun |
The CCA writes to all members of the House of Lords urging them to support the Corporate Manslaughter Bill without further amendmentThe CCA - the charity that advises families bereaved from work-related deaths and lobbies for legal and policy change - has urged all members of the House of Lords to support on Monday 25 June the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Bill without further amendment. |
| 15 Jun |
Family hope for vital answers at worker death
inquest in Northern Ireland
The two sisters of a man killed at a packaging factory
in Lurgan eight years ago hope that they will find
out why their brother died and why there was no prosecution
taken by the Northern Ireland HSE at the inquest into
his death which starts this week. |
| 18 May |
The
Lords Should Support the new Commons
Amendment - so the new corporate manslaughter bill becomes Law now, says CCA |
| 10
May |
The
Government must keep its promise to bereaved families
– pass the Corporate Manslaughter Bill now
"After a 10 year wait since the
Labour Government first promised to reform the
law of corporate manslaughter, the Government
is reported to be considering dropping the Corporate
Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Bill –
rather than supporting a Lords amendment that
would allow the Bill to apply to police and prison
custody deaths. In the CCA’s view such a threat is entirely
unacceptable. This Bill must pass – preferably
with the amendment, but without if necessary." |
| 28
Apr |
HSE
Chief Executive admits that prosecution levels
should be "considerably higher" and
tells staff of concern at low prosecution levels
Although
HSE's Director General, Geoffrey Podger, has
issued a statement today saying that reduction
in conviction levels following construction
sector deaths is a 'distraction', eight months
ago he e-mailed staff saying that prosecution
levels should be 'considerably higher" |
| 27
Apr |
International
Labour Organisation asks Bangladesh government
to respond to criticisms of Factory Inspectorate
set out in CCA report
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has
asked the Bangladesh Government to respond to
a report which sets out serious inadequacies in
the manning and operation of the Factory Inspectorate
- the key state body in Bangladesh which is responsible
for enforcing helath and safety law. |
| 25
Apr |
HSE
prosecutes in only one third of the cases that
it should, internal HSE audit shows
An
internal audit undertaken by the Health and
Safety Executive (HSE) into enforcement decisions
by both HSE and Local Authority (LA) inspectors
found that inspectors should be prosecuting
in three times as many cases than they currently
do. The audit report, which has been obtained
by the CCA under the Freedom of Information
Act, and has until now not been made public
concludes that there is a “serious gap”
in inspectors’ implementation of HSE's
own enforcement guidance |
| 24
Jan |
Failure
to prosecute Scottish Ambulance Service contrary
to enforcement policy expectation
The decision by the Crown Office not to prosecute
the Scottish Ambulance Service after a damning
report prepared by the Health and Safety Executive
(HSE) is contrary to HSE's prosecution policy,
says the Centre for Corporate Accountability.
|
| 10
Jan |
Dangerous
Organisation will escape manslaughter prosecution
under new Bill says Senior lawyers
Large dangerous organisations that kill will
continue to escape prosecution under new manslaughter
offence say senior lawyers. In a legal opinion
for the Centre for Corporate Accountability,
Paul Thornton QC and Francis Fitzgibbon state
that “it is worth asking whether this law will
have teeth at all, or whether it makes corporate
criminal liability for deaths as easy to escape
as it is at present." |
