Press Release

ICSA issues new guidance note on corporate manslaughter and homicide

14 October: The Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ICSA) has today published a new guidance note on the issues surrounding corporate manslaughter and homicide. The note follows the introduction of the Corporate Manslaughter and Homicide Act 2007 in April this year and is designed to help directors of public and private corporations, statutory authorities and charity trustees make informed decisions in the boardroom. Under the new Act, an organisation may be liable to conviction if it can be proved that any of the organisation’s activities, managed or organised by its senior managers, caused the person’s death. The Act also introduces new responsibilities for the board who must be able to provide evidence that they are controlling, monitoring and reviewing their health and safety systems.

David Wilson, ICSA’s Director of Policy and Strategy comments:

‘Under the wider remit of this new Act, there are several potentially damaging outcomes for organisations and their directors if they disregard the safety of others at work. The ICSA’s note provides clear guidelines to help organisations minimise the increased risk of prosecution’

The guidance note can be downloaded here http://www.icsa.org.uk/assets/files/pdfs/guidance/081003.pdf