New Unite research shows significant drop in HSE injury investigation levels
New research published by the UK’s largest trade union, Unite, shows investigation levels into major injuries to workers have declined by 43% between 2001/2 and 2006/7. In 2006/7, the last year when statistics are available, only 10.5% of major injuries reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) were investigated. The research, undertaken by the Centre for Corporate Accountability for Unite, also shows that in the same five year period there has been a 69% reduction in the number of worker ‘over-three day’ injuries investigated, a 31% decline in the number of ‘dangerous occurrences’ investigated, and a 68% decline in the number of members of the public injuries investigated.

Information Commissioner forces Safety Body to publish names of those who died in work-related deaths
The Information Commissioner (IC) has ruled that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) must provide the Centre for Corporate Accountability with the names of those who have died in work-related deaths once the opening of the coroners’s inquest has taken place.The decision was made following an appeal by the Centre for Corporate Accountability in February 2006, after HSE had refused to provide the information in its original request in February 2005.

Failure by Safety Body to publicise its own convictions, new research shows
The safety agency that prosecutes companies and individuals for health and safety offences fails to publicise the vast majority of its convictions – including those involving deaths - new research by the Centre for Corproate Accountability shows. This is despite the fact that one of the main purposes of these kinds of prosecutions is to act as a deterrent against other employers from committing similar offences.

New manslaughter offence unlikely to apply to large companies for many years, says safety charity
Large companies are unlikely to be prosecuted for the new offence of Corporate Manslaughter for many years – even though deaths will have resulted from their serious management failures and will have met the new legal test. This is because the new Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007  - which technically comes into effect after 6 April 2008 - contains strict retrospective clauses that mean not only must the death take place after 6 April 2008, but all the evidence supporting the allegation must also taken place after that date.

Fines against most companies convicted following work-related deaths less than 1/700th of Turnover, new research shows
The majority of large companies convicted of healthand safety offences involving a  death of a worker or member of the public are fined at a level which is less than 700th of their annual turnover, new research by the Centre for Corporate Accountability shows. If individuals earning an average annual income of £24,769 were sentenced at this level, they would be
fined just £35. The CCA is urging the Sentencing Advisory Panel to provide guidance that will allow the courts to fine companies convicted of 'death-related' health and safety offences between 2.5 and 10% of the company's turnover and for the new corporate manslaughter offence of between 15 and 40% of the company's turnover