The new Corporate Manslaughter & Corporate Homicide Bill will become law in April 08 and will apply to any "organisation" as well as any type of trading business.

Employers, businesses and directors need to be aware of the implications of the new legislation and the increased responsibilities it will place upon their senior managers; and now is a good time to review your health and safety policies.

The new law will make it easier to prosecute medium and large companies following a fatal accident caused by any of an organisation's activities managed or organised by 'senior managers' (someone who plays a significant role in either making decisions about how activities are managed or organised). Senior managers will not be personally responsible under this new legislation - it will be the organisation that is prosecuted and, if found guilty, fined, but any employee can still be fined or in extreme cases sent to prison if they are found to be personally negligent and that negligence caused a fatality.

The damage of being involved in such a case should never be underestimated. Corporate manslaughter cases will only be heard in the Crown Court and the court will have the power to impose whatever fine it feels appropriate.