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Dying for a job: Avoiding the Blame for Work-Based Fatalities
Holding the firms responsible
Manslaughter is a crime that can be committed by any individual or company in relation to a work-related death. No organisation - other than a company - can be prosecuted for this offence.
The test of whether a company is guilty of manslaughter or not is linked to whether or not a director or senior manager of the company is guilty of manslaughter. If the director/manager is found guilty, the company is guilty; if the director/manager is found innocent, the company is innocent.
In recent years, only a handful of companies have been prosecuted for manslaughter, only five of which - all very small firms - were convicted. The number of proprietors who have ever been jailed for such offences is just two.