Content
U-Turns Galore
Premises, Promises
Filing Bonus
RIP: 0% Rate
His and Hers
Party Spirit
State Of The Union
VAT's The Point?
Going Dutch
Away Win For Revenue
WIP-Round
The Best Land Plans
Tax Free Gizmos
Where Theres A Will
Do You Work Here?
Out Of The Shadows
Sacrifice Works
Home Sweet Office
Sauce For The Goose
Blissful Ignorance
PC Or Not PC?
Lost On Penalties
Worth The Paper
Carry The Can
|
In September a director of a company was sentenced to twelve months in jail (to serve six) for manslaughter after one of the employees died in an accident in a paper-shredding machine. The company was fined £30,000 and had to pay £55,000 in costs. The machine was clearly dangerous, and the company didn't make sure that there was a safe way of operating and cleaning it. The employee had climbed inside to clear a blockage when it started by accident. This should have been impossible, if proper isolation procedures were in place and the machine had been well maintained. It was critical to the case against the director that he had failed to act on recommendations of his health and safety consultant, and had allowed standards to fall. He surely did not intend there to be an accident, and would probably wish to have his time again and avoid it - but he was complacent then, and it is too late now. Things go wrong: it's up to the directors to make sure that everything is done that can be done to minimise the risks of them doing so, and the damage to workers that happens when they do. This case is an important reminder of the personal responsibility that directors have for failing to live up to that standard. |
© Bayar Hughes & Co., 2010.