Experts slam toughter corporate manslaughter laws

Legal experts have slammed tougher corporate manslaughter laws for failing to hold individual directors accountable for deadly mistakes.

Employment law expert Norman Selwyn said the laws, revised last month, are likely to lead to more prosecutions but might not stretch to covering major accidents.

He said it was easier to prosecute smaller companies on manslaughter charges than larger ones.

“It is now estimated that there are likely to be about a dozen or so corporate manslaughter prosecutions each year and the clarification of the law will more than likely lead to these being successful,” he said.

“But the Corporate Manslaughter Act is by no means perfect. It is strange that it does not place specific health and safety duties on company directors.

“It therefore begs the question: ‘will it be any good’? Major industrial accidents will only have a realistic chance of greater prevention if boards of directors formally and publicly accept their collective roles on safety.”

Crisis management expert Peter Power said pressure to correct safety failings should be put on corporate directors by staff and stakeholders.

“It is unacceptable that companies and their directors should learn only from their own mistakes as we used to do in the past,” he said.

Changes to manslaughter laws last month now make it easier to prove corporate manslaughter and focuses on management failings instead of individuals.