After nearly a decade of planning, the Corporate Manslaughter & Corporate Homicide Bill has been published and presented to the House of Commons. The new legislation makes an offence of corporate manslaughter or homicide, which relates to the overall management of an activity within an organization.

Current legislation requires prosecutors to prove a single manager, or a \'directing mind\', is responsible for a death. Under the new Bill, if a person is killed because senior managers fail to maintain the safety of their premises or fail to ensure a safe working environment, the company can be found guilty and face an unlimited fine. The Bill should receive its second reading on 10 October.