Employers 'unprepared' for laws on corporate manslaughter

Many of Britain's employers are ill-prepared for forthcoming legislation governing corporate manslaughter, it has been claimed.

According to the results of a study by law firm Peninsula, out of every ten company heads surveyed, eight are not prepared.

Moreover, of the 1,685 employers polled, a total of 79 per cent confirmed that they were not aware of the forthcoming legislation.

While the new law is valid throughout the UK, in Scotland it creates the new offence of corporate homicide, rather than corporate manslaughter.

"The new act clarifies the criminal liabilities of companies where serious failures in management of health and safety result in fatality," said Noel Pilling, health and safety director at Peninsula.

"Businesses everywhere will need to ensure that health and safety procedures are up to date, reviewed on a regular basis and strictly enforced."

The forthcoming Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 enters into force on April 6th.