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Thompsons Solicitors
First Successful Corporate Manslaughter Prosecution
5th August 2011
Cotswold Geotechnical have become the first company to be convicted of corporate manslaughter, since The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 came into force on 6th April 2008. The company was fined £385,000 for gross negligence which resulted in the tragic death of one of their employees.
Fatally Injured at Work
Alex Wright, a geologist, was fatally injured whilst working in an unsupported trench over 3 metres deep, when it caved in and he was buried by soil. The weight of the earth that fell into the pit meant that he was unable to breathe and he died of traumatic asphyxiation. Mr Wright was just 27 at the time of his death.
He had been working alone and completely unsupervised at the time and industry guidelines state that workers should not be allowed to enter pits more than 1.2 metres deep without supports, due to the known risk of collapse.
Corporate Manslaughter
The incident was investigated by the police with support from the Health & Safety Executive and the Court found that the company’s practice of digging trial pits was wholly and unnecessarily dangerous. Evidence also showed that Costwold Geotechnical had ignored industry guidelines.
It was said that, had the company fulfilled their legal obligation not to place their employees’ health at risk, this terrible incident would never have happened.
Workplace Accident Advice
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Contact The Legal Line on 0800 0328511, or by completing a claim enquiry form online, for cost-free, confidential injury claim advice from our specialist personal injury lawyers.
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