Tolley’s Corporate Manslaughter and Homicide

A guide to compliance

Andrea Oates, LexisNexis Tolley, paperback, 382 pages, £65.00

The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007, which came into force on 6 April, will make it easier to prosecute negligent employers after someone is killed at work. It is now possible to prosecute the organisation without first having to find the individual manager guilty of manslaughter. In particular, large companies will find it harder to neglect their safety responsibilities, which has led to people being killed at work.

A number of guides have been published, which seek to explain the complexities of the new law, and this is one of the best so far. The author, a former Labour Research Department colleague, writes about the subject with a keen eye for the detail, while expressing the important arguments in clear and straightforward English.

The book sets out the context for the new law, including useful sections on past prosecutions. There are also chapters on particularly high-risk sectors and on the wider aspects of corporate accountability, including the issue of directors’ duties.

Although aimed at employers, this guide will be of use to union officers, union solicitors and reps who like to stay on top of the latest legislation. It will also help bereaved families who have to deal with the pain of losing a loved one to employers’ negligence.