The Health and Safety (Offences) Act 2008
11-02-2009 15:49 by Ian Shotliff
A lot of interest has been shown in the Corporate Manslaughter Act
2007, but the HSOA has slipped in relatively unnoticed. It is well
known that the intention of the CMA 2007 was to be able to hold
corporate bodies to account, rather than individuals. The HSOA means
that individuals with specific responsibilities can find themselves
prosecuted and potentially jailed for breaches of HS legislation. This
can include any acts of consent, connivance or neglect and goes right
down to the shop floor, e.g. horseplay, failure to follow training etc.
As in all HS law, there is no requirement for a person to be injured;
an act or omission resulting in a near miss or just the potential for
injury etc can also be prosecuted.


