Corporate Manslaughter: A brief guide for senior management

24 July 2008

The long-awaited Corporate Manslaughter Act has now arrived, and here's a brief summary of what senior management need to know in order to stay compliant.

Firstly, the new Act does not actually impose any new duties, so if you are certain that you currently comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974), then you will also be complying with the new Act.

However, insufficient attention to key areas, including any of the following will mean that as a senior manager, you are vulnerable:

• The training of front line workers
  Here RoSPA can help by providing an initial Training Needs Analysis toidentify any areas of insufficient training, and viable options to remedy the situation.
  
  
• Ensuring that procedures are followed by front-line workers and junior managers
  The gap between written policy, and actual practice is notoriously difficult to bridge, yet cannot be ignored. An initial Behavioural Safety Audit will help ensure that the root causes of failure to comply are addressed.
  
  
• Managing risks associated to the use of contractors
  Many organisationswrongly assume that when contracting out an activity they contract out the associated risks. RoSPA's can provide assistance in this area, from advising on the selection process, developing management controls, to carrying out detailed health and safety management audits of potential or existing contractors. Helping clients ensure that contracted work is carried out in a safe and diligent manner.
  
  
• The regular audit and review of safety systems
  The flagship Quality Safety Audit is RoSPA's unique quantitative, flexible audit system that can be tailored to suit the risk profile of your organisation. By using an audit system that is so closely aligned with current best practice, you can ensure that your health and safety policy is consistent with Health and Safety Executive expectations.

For help with any of the above areas call RoSPA Consultancy on 0121 248 2076 or email consultancy@rospa.com