First company to be prosecuted under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Ho
The first company to be prosecuted under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2008, Cotswold Geotechnical Holdings Ltd, has been fined £385,000.
The company, which had a turnover of £333,000 in 2008, the year the incident occurred, will be able to pay the fine (which represents 116% of that turnover) over a ten-year period, with £38,500 due every year of that period. The company does not have to pay any costs.
Richard Evens, Training and Marketing Director at St John Ambulance, said:
“We hope this case will inform employers in all sectors. Stringent processes must be in place to avoid a repeat of this tragic accident.
“The Corporate Manslaughter Act is there to safeguard against lax attitudes to health and safety by holding employers accountable for neglecting their duty of care to workers, visitors and customers. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Alexander Wright.”
