Allan, Stuart (2016) The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 or the Health ...

284 Pages·2016·2.1 MB·English

by  Stuart Allan

Allan, Stuart (2016) The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate
Homicide Act 2007 or the Health and Safety (Offences) Act 2008:
Corporate Killing and the Law. PhD thesis

http://theses.gla.ac.uk/7376/

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The Corporate Manslaughter and
Corporate Homicide Act 2007 or the
Health and Safety (Offences) Act 2008:
Corporate Killing and the Law

Stuart Allan MSc, BSc

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for
the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Law
School of Law
College of Social Science
University of Glasgow
Abstract
This thesis examines the regulatory and legislative approach taken in the United
Kingdom to deal with deaths arising from work related activities and, in
particular, deaths that can be directly attributed to the behaviour of
corporations and other organisations. Workplace health and safety has
traditionally been seen in the United Kingdom as a regulatory function which can
be traced to the very earliest days of the Industrial Revolution. With an
emphasis on preventing workplace accidents and ill-health through guidance,
advice and support, the health and safety legislation and enforcement regime
which had evolved over the best part of two centuries was considered
inadequate to effectively punish corporations considered responsible for deaths
caused by their activities following a series of disasters in the late twentieth and
early twenty-first centuries.
To address this apparent inadequacy, the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate
Homicide Act 2007 was introduced creating the offence of corporate
manslaughter and corporate homicide. Based on a gross breach of a relevant
duty of care resulting in the death of a person, the Act effectively changed what
had previously considered a matter of regulation, an approach that had obvious
weaknesses and shortcomings, to one of crime and criminal law.
Whether this is the best approach to dealing with deaths caused by an
organisation is challenged in this thesis and the apparent distinction between
‘criminal’ and ‘regulatory’ offences is also examined. It was found that an
amended Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 to include a specific offence
of corporate killing, in conjunction with the Health and Safety (Offences) Act
2008 would almost certainly have resulted in a more effective approach to
dealing with organisations responsible for causing deaths as consequence of their
activities. It was also found that there was no substantive difference between
‘regulatory’ and ‘criminal’ law other than the stigma associated with the latter,
and that distinction would almost certainly disappear, at least in the context of
worker safety, as a consequence of the penalties available following the

introduction of the Health and Safety (Offences) Act 2008.
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Table of Contents
Abstract ...................................................................................................................................i
List of Cases ............................................................................................................................ v
List of Statutes ...................................................................................................................... vii
Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................... ix
1.0 Introduction.................................................................................................................1
2.0 Regulation of Workplace Safety in the UK ................................................................13
2.1 Introduction ...........................................................................................................13
2.2 Before the Factories Acts ......................................................................................15
2.3 The Factories Acts..................................................................................................22
2.4 Other Sectors of Employment ...............................................................................41
2.5 The Robens Report ................................................................................................48
2.6 Conclusion .............................................................................................................61
3.0 Health and Safety Regulation Post-Robens ..............................................................63
3.1 Introduction ...........................................................................................................63
3.2 The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 .......................................................69
3.3 Employee Representation .....................................................................................76
3.4 Scope .....................................................................................................................82
3.5 Enforcement ..........................................................................................................86
3.6 Sanctions and Offences .........................................................................................91
3.7 Health and Safety (Offences) Act 2008 .................................................................93
3.8 The European Union, Deregulation and Health and Safety in the UK ..................96
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3.9 Deregulation ..........................................................................................................99
3.10 Conclusion ...........................................................................................................101
4.0 Corporate Killing......................................................................................................104
4.1 Introduction .........................................................................................................104
4.2 Corporations ........................................................................................................106
4.3 Criminal Corporations..........................................................................................111
4.4 Corporate Crime ..................................................................................................125
4.5 Corporate Killing as Crime ...................................................................................134
4.6 Conclusion ...........................................................................................................138
5.0 The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 ..........................140
5.1 Introduction .........................................................................................................140
5.2 The Disasters .......................................................................................................143
5.3 Manslaughter, Culpable Homicide and Corporate Killing ...................................151
5.4 Reforming the Law ..............................................................................................155
5.5 The Act .................................................................................................................166
5.6 Penalties ..............................................................................................................179
5.7 The Controversy ..................................................................................................189
5.8 Conclusion ...........................................................................................................195
6.0 Crime and Regulation ..............................................................................................197
6.1 Introduction .........................................................................................................197
6.2 Impact of the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 ......198
6.3 Crime ...................................................................................................................209
6.4 The Nature of Regulation ....................................................................................212
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6.5 ‘Real’ Crime.........................................................................................................220
6.6 Criminal or Regulatory? .......................................................................................230
6.7 Conclusion ...........................................................................................................233
7.0 General Conclusions ................................................................................................236
Bibliography........................................................................................................................245
Appendix A – Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Prosecutions to
December 2015 ..................................................................................................................267

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List of Cases
Baker v Bolton & Ors [1808] EWHC KB J92
Trustees of Dartmouth College v. Woodward (1819) 17 US 518
Priestley v. Fowler (1837) 150 Eng Rep 1030 1220- 1865
Bartonshill Coal Co v Reid (1858) 3 Macq 266; 31 LTOS 255; 22 JP 560; 4 Jur NS 767 HL
Mousell Brothers, Limited v London and North-Western Railway Company [1917] 2 KB 836 (King's
Bench Division)
R v Bateman (1925) 19 Cr App R 8 (Court of Appeal)
Proprietary Articles Trade Association and others v. Attorney General for Canada Proprietary
Articles Trade Association and Others Appellants; and Attorney-General for Canada and Others
Respondents On Appeal from the Supreme Court of Canada (Privy Council)
Andrews v DPP [1937] AC 576, [1937] UKHL 1 (House of Lords)
English v Wilsons & Clyde Coal Co Ltd [1938] AC 57, [1937] UKHL 2, [1937] 3 All ER 628 (HL)
R. v I.C.R. Haulage, Limited and Others. [1944] KB 551 (Court of Criminal Appeal)
Nicholls v F Austin (Leyton) Ltd [1946] AC 493, 2 All ER 92, 44 LGR 287, 115 LJKB 329, 90 Sol Jo
628, 175 LT 5, 62 TLR 320 (House of Lords)
Edwards v. National Coal Board [1949] 1 KB 704 (Court of Appeal)
Reference re Validity of Section 5 (a) Dairy Industry Act 1949 1 SCR 1 (Supreme Court of Canada)
Canadian Federation of Agriculture v Attorney-General for Quebec and Others [1951] AC 179
(Privy Council)
Marshall v. Gotham [1954] AC360 (House of Lords)
Bolton (H.L.) (Engineering) Ltd v T.J. Graham and Sons [1957] 1 QB 159 at 172 (Queens Bench
Division)
Tesco Supermarkets Ltd. Appellants v Nattrass Respondent [1971] 2 WLR 1166, [1972] AC 153
(House of Lords)
Armour (John) v Skeen [1977] IRLR 310
R. v. Lemon [1979] AC 617 (House of Lords)
Grimshaw v. Ford Motor Co. (1981) 119 CalApp3d 757
R v Swan Hunter Shipbuilders Ltd and Telemeter Installations Ltd [1982] 1 All ER 264, [1981] 2
Lloyd's Rep 605, [1981] ICR 831, [1981] IRLR 403, [1981] Crim LR 833 (CA)
Gammon Ltd. v Attorney General of Hong Kong [1985] AC 1 (Privy Council (Hong Kong))
Fletcher and Others v Bradford City Football Club and Others Leeds, 23rd February 1987
(Queen's Bench Division)
Williams v Farne Salmon and Trout Ltd 1988 SLT 1329
v
Caparo Industries plc v. Dickman [1990] 2 AC 605 (HL)
R. v P & O European Ferries (Dover) Ltd. (1990) 93 CrAppR 72 (Central Criminal Court)
R. v. Board of Trustees of the Science Museum [1993] 3 All ER 853, [1993] 1 WLR 1171, [1993]
ICR 876 (Court of Appeal)
R v Adomako [1994] 3 WLR 288, [1995] 1 AC 171, [1994] 3 All ER 79, [1994] UKHL 6 (House of
Lords)
R. v Kite and OLL Ltd. (1994) unreported
R v Associated Octel Ltd. [1996] UKHL 1; [1996] ICR 972; [1996] 4 All ER 846; [1996] 1 WLR 1543;
[1997] Crim LR 355; [1997] IRLR 123 (14th November, 1996)
Drury v. H.M. Advocate 2001 SLT 1013
Davies v Health and Safety Executive [2002] EWCA Crim 2949
Transco Plc v HM Advocate (No.1) [2004] JC 29; 2004 SLT 41; 2004 SCCR 1; [2005] BCC 296; 2003
GWD 38-1039 (High Court of Justiciary)
Gillon v HM Advocate 2006 HCJAC 61 (Appeal Court, High Court of Justiciary)
R v Transco plc [2006] EWCA Crim 838
R. v Balfour Beatty Rail Infrastructure Services Ltd [2006] EWCA Crim 1586; [2007] Bus LR 77;
[2007] 1 Cr App R (S) 65; [2007] ICR 354; (2006) 150 SJLB 922; (Court of Appeal (Criminal
Division))
R. v. HTM [2006] EWCA Crim 1156
Sutradhar (FC) v Natural Environment Research Council [2006] UKHL 33, on appeal from [2004]
EWCA Civ 175 2006 WL 1783209 (HL)
HM Advocate v Purcell (Isaac Michael) [2007] HCJ 13; 2008 JC 131
R. v. Chargot Ltd (trading as Contract Services) and others [2008] UKHL 73
R v Cotswold Geotechnical (Holdings) Ltd [2011] EWCA Crim 1337 (Court of Appeal, Criminal
Division); 2011 WL 2649504
Petto v HM Advocate [2011] HCJAC 80; 2011 SLT 1043
R v. Lion Steel Equipment Ltd (2012) Unreported (Manchester Crown Court)
R v Princes Sporting Club Limited (2013) Unreported (Southwark Crown Court)
R v Sellafield Ltd & R v Network Rail Infrastructure [2014] EWCA Crim 49 (Court of Appeal
Criminal Division)
R v Peter Mawson and Peter Mawson Ltd (2015) Unreported (Preston Crown Court)
R v. Dr Errol Cornish and Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (2016) Unreported (Inner
London Crown Court)

vi
List of Statutes
1606 King James the Sext. Anent Coalyiers and Salters c2
An Act for the better Regulation of Chimney Sweepers, and their Apprentices 1788 (28 Geo 3
c48)
An Act for the preservation of the Health and Morals of Apprentices and others, employed in
cotton and other mills, and cotton and other factories 1802 (42 Geo 3 c73)
An Act to Regulate the Labour of Children and young Persons in the Mills and Factories of the
United Kingdom 1833 (3&4 Will. 4 c.1)
Burgh Police (Scotland) Act 1833 (3 & 4 Will. IV c.46)
Municipal Corporations Act 1835 (5 & 6 Wm. IV., c.76)
An Act to Prohibit the Employment of Women and Girls in Mines and Collieries, to Regulate the
Employment of Boys, and make Provisions for the Safety of Persons working therein 1842 (5&6
Vict. c.99)
An Act to amend the Laws relating to Labour in Factories 1844 (7&8 Vict c.15)
The Railway Regulation Act 1844 (7&8 Vict c85)
Fatal Accidents Act 1846 (9 & 10 Vict. c.93)
An Act for the further Amendment of the Laws relating to Labour in Factories 1856 (13&14 Vict
54)
An Act for the Extension of the Factory Acts 1864 (27 & 28 Vict c38)
Factory Acts Extension Act 1867 (30 & 31 Vic. c. 103)
The Workshop Regulation Act 1867 (30 & 31 Vict c136)
Sale of Food and Drugs Act 1875 (38 & 39 Vict.
Factory and Workshop Act 1878 (41 Vict c16)
An Act to Limit the Hours of Labour of Children and Young Persons in Shops 1886 (49&50 Vict
C.55)
The Interpretation Act 1889 (52 & 53 Vict. c 63)
Factory and Workshop Act 1901 (1 Edw. 7 c.22)
Coal Mines Act, 1911 (1&2 Geo. 5 c.50)
Factories Act 1937 (1 Edw 8. & 1 Geo 6. c.67)
Infanticide Act 1938 (1 & 2 Geo 6. c.36)
Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946 (9&10 Geo 6 c59)
The Shops Act 1950 (14 Geo 6 c28)
The Agriculture (Safety, Health and Welfare Provisions) Act 1956 (4&5 E2 c.49)
vii
Offices, Shops and Railway Premises Act 1963 (c.41)
Mines and Quarries (Tips) Act 1969 (c.10)
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (c.37)
Employment Protection Act 1975 (c.71)
Health and Safety (Enforcing Authority) Regulations 1977 (S.I. 1977/746)
Health and Safety at Work, etc., Act 1974 (Application outside Great Britain Order) 1977 (S.I.
1977 No.1232)
Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 (SI 1977/500)
Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 (c.46)
Single European Act 1986
The Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations 1996, (SI 1996/1513)
Health and Safety (Enforcing Authority) Regulations 1998. (SI 1998/494)
Criminal Justice Act 2003 (c.44)
Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 (c.28)
Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 Act No. 107/2004 (Victoria, Australia)
Railways Act 2005 (c.14)
The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 (c.19)
Health and Safety (Offences) Act 2008 (c.20)

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