Companies are still falling short of the changes made to the Corporate Manslaughter Act

Back in February, we reported that Cotswold Geotechnical Holdings had received a fine of £385,000 following the death of Alex Wright who died at work in September 2008.  Cotswold Geotechnical Holdings were the first convicted of the new offence under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007.

Please see http://www.ecsbrokers.com/news/entity-defence-is-essential

In a recent BBC report, three company directors have been charged with manslaughter after an employee fell through a roof in Greater Manchester.

Please see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-13993270

So why are businesses falling short of the changes to the Corporate Manslaughter Act, and what can be done to protect yourself and your businesses?

1)     H&S regimes must be well documented and practiced

2)     They need Entity cover (extended cover for Directors & Officers policies)

As this is a criminal conviction it wouldn’t pay for the fine (as that would not be in the public interest) but would pay for the defence costs which are no doubt £’000’s

If you would like to discuss these cases, Entity Defence cover, or indeed any issue relating to health and safety, please contact ECS Insurance Brokers on 0114 280 2830