Home secretary considers job ban for "corporate killers

Citation

(2001), "Home secretary considers job ban for "corporate killers", Journal of Management Development, Vol. 20 No. 7. https://doi.org/10.1108/jmd.2001.02620gab.003

Home secretary considers job ban for "corporate killers"

Home secretary considers job ban for "corporate killers"

The UK Home Secretary Jack Straw is looking to have "corporate killers" disqualified from holding any management job in future so that they will no longer pose a threat to public safety. The ban will be in addition to heavy fines and long prison sentences that company bosses are likely to face if they cause the death of employees or members of the public "by recklessness or gross carelessness".

The Home Secretary stated: "We are concerned that corporate liability alone might not be a sufficient deterrent, particularly within large or group companies. For this reason, we are considering whether it is appropriate for action to be taken against individual company officers if they contribute to the management failure that causes death".

The British Safety Council has welcomed the Home Secretary's proposals. Its Director General, Sir Neville Purvis, said: "Time is running out for those who, through blatant disregard for the law, allow employees to be killed or injured and yet are 'punished' with only fines".