Groundwork Business Briefing

Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Bill comes into force
The Corporate Manslaughter Bill, will come into force from April 2007. It will apply to England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. In Scotland the new regulations will be called Corporate Homicide.

The Bill is designed to make it easier to prosecute companies for fatal accidents at work. Under the Bill, companies and organisations, as a whole, will be responsible for deaths and would face unlimited fines. But individual managers and directors will not face jail. Although there is no provision under the new Bill to impose penalties on individual managers and directors of the organisation, they may still be prosecuted as individuals with the charge of manslaughter.

Mobile phone hands-free kits unsafe
Research conducted by the Royal Society of Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) suggests driving using a mobile phone, either hand-held or hands free makes you four times more likely to crash. RoSPA wishes to advise users of hands-free kits that they should not be deceived into thinking they are safe behind the wheel. This advice coincides with the introduction of increased penalties for using a held-held phone whilst driving, with fines now doubled to £60 and accompanied by three driving licence penalty points.

For cases involving careless or dangerous driving and mobile phones, police are able to use call records as evidence to show that a driver was distracted by using a phone, resulting in more severe sentencing.

RoSPA urges employers to make it a disciplinary offence to use any kind of mobile phone or hand held devices, such as blackberry or PDA, whilst driving on company business.

Environment Connect
Environment Connect is a new business support sign-posting service operating in the Northwest that provides free, confidential advice and practical assistance for businesses on a wide range of environmental issues.

Environment Connect is a one-stop-shop that makes it simple to find the right support for your business. It is a single point of contact to access a host of environmental business services. Designed to be easily accessible, Environment Connect advisors quickly assess your business needs and connect you with the most appropriate organisations to provide you with the best solutions.

World Water Day
This year World Water Day is on 22 March and the theme is ‘Coping with Scarcity’. The day highlights the need for efficient and fair management of water resources at both international and local levels.

Water is not as expensive as other resources, and as a result, is often overlooked during cost saving exercises. But businesses can save up to 30% of their water bills by reducing water consumption and using water wisely through simple low-cost techniques.

Easy ways to reduce water include fitting meters to detect consumption, fitting push taps, timed urinals or save-a-flush devices. Raising staff awareness of water use, e.g. highlighting the need to turn taps off and check for leaks, is a very cost effective method of reducing consumption.

Grants still available in Inner Rochdale
Companies are able to apply for business development grants if they are setting up, relocating to or currently operating in certain areas of Rochdale. The grants were due to finish this March, but have been extended for another year. Companies can use the money for several development purposes, including: purchasing or installing new equipment, marketing and research.

The amount of grant assistance available depends on the type of business and length of operation, but could be up to £6000.

For further details on eligibility and how to apply, contact Esther Shepley at Rochdale Council on 01706 752425.

Sickness absence
A pilot study into improving sickness absence recording in National Health Service trusts has been published and is available as a PDF file. This report outlines how managing attendance at work is recognized as being an increasing priority for all employers. Both short term and long-term absences have a significant impact upon the efficiency and resources of any company and the management of such absences can have a significant effect on both the company and the individuals who are involved.

This publication is available free on the HSE website:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/RESEARCH/rrpdf/rr531.pdf.

Failure to clear fly tipped waste results in fine
Garden centre chain Wyevale in Pyle, Bridgend was fined £10,000 for failing to clear waste, including asbestos, dumped on its land. The Agency served a notice on Wyevale requiring it to remove the waste. But the company said, due to the wordings of the Act, the notice did not apply as it was not the “occupier” of the land. In December, it was found guilty of two charges of keeping waste on land without a waste management license, and was fined £10,000 with £5,000 costs.