Relatives of workers killed in workplace accidents yesterday made an emotional plea to MSPs to tighten up the law on corporate killing.
Union officials are backing calls for the law in Scotland to be changed so company bosses can be held personally responsible for fatalities caused by safety breaches.
The UK-wide Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act comes into force on April 8, but does not allow for company bosses to be jailed. At a meeting held in the Scottish Parliament yesterday, two women who lost close relatives in workplace accidents said MSPs must do more to hold company directors to account.
Louise Adamson's 26-year-old brother Michael died in August 2005 when he was electrocuted while fitting out a sports shop in Dundee. Although three of his employers are due to go on trial in March, Ms Adamson said she was angry they could escape with a fine if found guilty. She said: "Unless people are put in prison or unless there are stricter punitive sanctions, things won't change."
Grahame Smith, general secretary of the Scottish TUC, said there was "deep disappointment" the UK legislation would not hold individual managers to account.
Labour MSP Karen Gillon introduced her own members' bill on corporate killing, but withdrew it after the UK Government brought forward its own plans. But she said she was prepared to reintroduce it after the £400,000 fines handed down to ICL Plastics and ICL Tech in the case of the Stockline factory explosion which killed 33 people.
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