Corporate culpability

[Pervert]

Have a look at this:



We've had most of the evidence in our papers in the last six months, including the fact that a police patrol car looking for a reported gas leak had been in this family's driveway a few minutes before the blast---and the officers could have been victims five and six.

In spite of the verdict, and in spite of the judge's comments, Transco still refuses to accept it was to blame, or even to offer some kind of public apology for the shoddy practices that cost a family their lives.

Now I know we'll get the usual shouts of "blame culture," but this was a fault that had been reported many times over the years. So when will the law finally take action against negligent companies and put a case for unlawful killing against those in charge of managing?

[nachovx]

If they're guilty then some Transco directors/employees should really spend a few years in prison - because a fine of ?15M means nothing to a company and will be written off against tax or recouped in higher prices to consumers. Until those culpable in cases like this are jailed there is no incentive to make sure gas/electricity/railways etc. are safe, and they'll continue to kill people and blame anyone but themselves. But it's only one symptom amongst many in the gradual decline of the UK.

[diplodocus]

it's always gonna be a nightmare to jail someone for manslaughter in H&S cases, it's very hard to prove who had ultimate responsibility either Joe in his office with his head in the sand or Bob in the field who couldn't be arsed to do something.
It will be a brave judge who jails someone first and sets that precadent and opens the floodgates.
Many casses before have failed to apportion ultimate blame from Hatfield train crash to Barrow legionella outbreak to this.
I'm not gonna hold my breath for the first one

[Pervert]

Part of my problem, Diplo, is wondering how people can carry on doing a job knowing that their negligence, or the lax safety standards they allow, has caused the deaths of others. Not sure I could cope with the guilt.

Maybe the detached management and executives might be more concerned if they knew incompetence on that scale would result in jail time. But at the moment, their contempt is such they cannot even bring themselves to say sorry.

[mart]

And do they hang their heads in shame at the golf club and the Masonic Lodge?

Mart

[diplodocus]

a lot of it is the 'it won't happen to me' thinking, or the 'there's too much H&S stuff, it really can't be that important'. But when the shit does hit the fan some people do get hit hard with guilt.
There was a case a few years ago where a business owner was charged with manslaughter over a legionella death, he fell apart, the trial was cancelled after he had two heart attacks and a total breakdown.
I know I wouldn't do too well sitting facing a load of manslaughter charges

[Pervert]

Nor me, mate.

[Deuce Bigolo]

Never

Water,Gas & Electricity are far too important to be trusted in the hands of entities that are only concerned with turning a profit IMHO but thats the nature of our society

Money is seen as being far more valuable than Lives

cheers
B....OZ

[mart]

What really pisses me off is the justification for privatising national assets. Greater efficiency and lower cost to the consumer.
BOLLOX.

Mart

[Deuce Bigolo]

Its was all smoke & mirrors

Everybody didn't look beyond the Billions paid up front for the assets

Anybody who's ever worked in the private sector knows,
more Efficient means less workers,less workers mean less maintenance,
less maintenance means disaster waiting to happen

The plight of California in recent times being held to ransom for its power during high demand periods highlights perfectly the shortcomings of privatisation

cheers
B....OZ