The Open University

Professor Gary Slapper will be discussing whether the UK’s new law against corporate crime will be a force for good or an obstacle to business?

The importance of this lecture is highlighted by reports that this month a Gloucester-based company became the first to face charges under the new law. Cotswold Geotechnical Holdings, an engineering consultancy, has been accused of gross negligence in connection with the death of a geologist on a building site near Stroud, in Gloucestershire, in September last year. Other recent changes to health and safety law designed to impose tougher penalties for crimes resulting in death and injury in the workplace will apply in this case.

Gary Slapper, Professor of Law at the Open University Business School, said: “It is important that the authorities are seen to be as tough on crime in the suites as they are on crime in the streets. Globally, more people are killed at work each year than are killed in wars and the law has not yet become strong enough to match the power of some companies. Of the world's 100 largest economic entities, 51 are companies and 49 are countries. In the UK, over 300 people are killed at work every year. That number rises to over a thousand if commercially-related road deaths are added and by thousands more if you include long-term deaths like those from asbestosis.

The old law was ineffective. Over 40,000 people were killed in commercially-related circumstances since 1965 but only 36 companies have been prosecuted for homicide. The gap between deaths and convictions cannot be explained away by seeing most deaths as merely unavoidable accidents as in some 70 per cent of cases of deaths at work, the company is blameworthy.”


The lecture is taking place on 12th May 17.30 – 19.30 at The Open University campus in Milton Keynes.

To book a place please e-mail Louise Clipson on l.clipson@open.ac.uk